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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27448993">Fables of a Thief and Princess</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JudaiNeos04/pseuds/JudaiNeos04'>JudaiNeos04</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal, Persona 5: The Royal - Fandom, Persona Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, F/M, Family Bonding, Flashbacks, Fluff, Future Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parents of the Year Award, Somewhat Non-Linear Storytelling, Wholesome</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 03:13:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>27,219</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27448993</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JudaiNeos04/pseuds/JudaiNeos04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A fateful encounter, remembered and retold.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amamiya Ren/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Kurusu Akira/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Persona 5 Protagonist/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Fateful Encounter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hurry, Ren! She’s going to find us!”</p><p>“I-I know! B-But my feet hurt! And I’m tired! AND you’re pulling my arm too much!”</p><p>“Ughhhh if we get caught, it’s all YOUR fault!” </p><p>“Heeeeey! Don’t say that!” Out of breath, Ren looked around the hallway and eyed a nearby closet underneath a staircase. “C’mon, Kaz! Over there!”</p><p>Hesitantly, Kaz pulled Ren to the closet, paying close attention to not make any noise when the door was opened. Noticing the shadow of the figure entering the hallway, Kaz pushed Ren inside and slammed the door shut.</p><p>“She’s going to know we’re here!”</p><p>“If I closed the door like how slow you run, she would’ve found us!”</p><p>“Hey!”</p><p>“If only you weren’t slow-”</p><p>“Kaz! You’re being a meanie again!” </p><p>“Not if it’s true, you slowpoke!”</p><p>“Meanie!”</p><p>“Slowpoke!”</p><p>“Meanie!”</p><p>“Slowpoke!”</p><p>“Meanie!’</p><p>“Slow-”</p><p>The echoes of creaking footsteps across the wooden floor put the bickering of the two on pause. They did their best to suppress their heavy breathing from all of the running they did until the footsteps got closer and closer to the door, the shadow of the figure eventually blocking out the only source of light into the dark closet. Instinctively, Kaz and Ren covered each other’s mouths, nodding to each other to not make any sudden noise or movement in this dire situation. </p><p>That was until Kaz heard the doorknob be held from the other side of the door. Assuming that Ren was oblivious to what was going on, Kaz reached for the doorknob to try and prevent the door from opening, only to stop when Ren grabbed it first and pulled back.</p><p>Without any words, Ren’s red eyes stared into Kaz’s gray eyes, determined to not get caught. Returning the stare with an adamant one, Kaz grabbed the doorknob tight and pulled back alongside Ren. Luckily for them, the figure didn’t bother opening the door, continuing the path down the hallway. With the coast now clear, they both removed their hands away from the doorknob and their respective mouths and sighed at their fortune.</p><p>“That was close-”</p><p>As if on cue, the door flung wide open, shining the light from the hallway into the closet. Slightly blinded from the light to have a proper reaction, Kaz and Ren looked up and stared in awe at the figure blocking the doorway. Or more precisely, a woman wearing a red on black flannel pajama bottom, a red knit pajama top whose collar and wrist cuffs matched the pattern of the black flannel bottom, a white headband with pink stitching along its edges that kept her hair in place minus her bangs and two locks of hair that flowed on each side of her face, and a pair of black-framed glasses. To top it all off, the woman had a wicked smile across her face, scaring Kaz and Ren even more when one of the lenses of her glasses was shrouded in light and the other one showing an eager red eye.</p><p>“I <em> FOUND </em>YOU!”</p><p>“RUUUUUUUN!”</p><p>Wasting no time, Kaz and Ren ran into the woman, squirming between the small gaps between her and the door frame. Freed from the confines of the closet, Kaz and Ren gave each other one final nod before deciding to run down the hallway in separate directions. As they took their first step, they were jerked to an abrupt halt when a hand grabbed onto the back of their respective shirts, eventually raising them both up in the air.</p><p>“Tsk, tsk! Shouldn’t have made too much noise when you slammed the door, Kazumi!”</p><p>“I-It’s all Ren’s fault, Mama! I wouldn’t have been caught if Ren wasn’t a slow-”</p><p>“Mamaaaa! Kaz is being a meanie again!”</p><p>“Kaz…” </p><p>The mother shifted the grip she had on Kazumi and Ren, holding them both close to her waist and wrapping an arm around their own waists while keeping them suspended in the air. It didn’t take long for Kazumi to feel a daunting gaze.</p><p>“Y-Yes, M-Mama…”</p><p>“We’ve been over this…” Mama raised Kazumi and nuzzled her face with his, causing him to laugh from being tickled. “The older brother shouldn’t be making fun of his younger sister like that…”</p><p>“… I know…”</p><p>“Do you remember why?”</p><p>Kaz gave a somber stare to Ren, who responded with a pout.</p><p>“… Because we’re twins… And twins aren’t supposed to do that…”</p><p>“That’s right!” Mama nuzzled her face against Kazumi’s face again, lowering him back down but keeping him in the air when he finished laughing. “And what do twins say to each other after they fight to forgive?”</p><p>“Mama!”</p><p>“What’s wrong?”</p><p>“D-Do I have to say <em> that </em> !?” Kazumi felt heat grow onto his cheeks, not wanting to do whatever <em> that </em> entailed.</p><p>“Well… You don’t have too… But I wonder what Papa would say… Hmm…”</p><p>“M-MAMA!” </p><p>The teasing giggles from Ren caught Kaz’s attention, annoyed at the amount of joy she had from his suffering. Wanting to see if he would be spared from this kind of humiliation, he looked up to his mother for help. Unfortunately for him, he was met with what appeared to be a warm smile that masked <em> other </em> emotions… </p><p>“H-Hey, R-Ren…” Kaz faced his sister in defeat.</p><p>“Yes, Kazumi-niichan~?”</p><p>“Mama!”</p><p>“Don’t keep Ren waiting, Kazumi-niichan~!”</p><p>With an intense blush from what his mother is forcing him to do, Kaz hid his face in his hands and let out an aggravated groan.</p><p>“I… Ren…”</p><p>“Mamaaaaa! I couldn’t hear Kaaaaaz!”</p><p>“REN!”</p><p>“Oh, really? I guess Kazumi doesn’t want a good night kiss then…”</p><p>“MAMAAAA!”</p><p>“I know! Let’s make a promise!” To release any tension between the twins, the mother spun in place, getting a cheer from Ren but nothing from Kazumi. “If Ren hears you this time, then I’ll give you a good night kiss every night!” </p><p>“Urrgh.”</p><p>“What about me, Mama? What do I get?”</p><p>“Silly Ren!” She lifted Ren to her face and gave her a nuzzle, happy to hear her giggle. “You’ll get a good night kiss every night too! As long as you tell Kazumi what he’s about to tell you!”</p><p>“I promise!” Ren hummed in anticipation, already wanting to fulfill the promise from her mom as she stared at Kaz with a smug grin. “I’m waaaaaiiiting Kazumi-niichan~!”</p><p>“… You’re mean…” He mumbled to himself so no one could hear him, taking a deep breath to make sure Ren heard him this time. “I LOVE YOU, REN!”</p><p>“Hehe! Yes!” Ren placed both of her hands around her mouth. “I LOVE YOU TOO, KAZUMI-NIICHAN~!”</p><p>“Aww! I love both of you sooooo much!” Mama brought both twins to her face and gave them each a kiss followed by a nuzzle. “Buuuut I did catch you! You know what that means!”</p><p>“Do we haaaave to?” Kazumi dangled his arms and legs as a means for his mother to release him. “I don’t feel sleeeeepy!”</p><p>“Mamaaa!” Ren tugged at her mother’s pajama top to get her attention. “Can’t we wait until Papa comes home?” </p><p>“Well, Papa said he’d be back in time to give you both a good night kiss… And he’s also with a friend right now…” </p><p>“You mean Shinji’s dad?”</p><p>“You forgot Alice-chan, Kaz!”</p><p>“Alice-chan is still a baby, Ren… Like you!”</p><p>“Kaaaaaz!”</p><p>“Kazumi…”</p><p>“Umm, I-I didn’t mean it! I-It was a joke! R-Right, Ren?”</p><p>“… You meanie…” </p><p>“… We’ll talk about this later… But first, you two need to change into your pajamas so you can go to bed and get ready for school tomorrow.”</p><p>With a gloomy Kazumi in one hand and an excited Ren in the other, their mother carried them to their bedroom and helped in changing them to their pajamas. Once changed into their sleepwear (Kazumi wearing a blue plaid top and bottom that accented his scruffy red hair while Ren had on a white on purple plaid top and bottom that had frills at the end of her sleeves, matching perfectly with her tresses of black hair), their mother tucked them into their respective beds and was prepared to give them their promised good night kisses.</p><p>“Mama…”</p><p>“Yes, Ren?” She ran a hand through her daughter’s hair and gave her a pat.</p><p>“Can you tell us a bedtime story?” </p><p>“Yes!” Kazumi launched a fist into the air from hearing his sister’s suggestion. “You or Papa haven’t read us a story in FOREVER!”</p><p>“Hmm, I’ll have to see what we have…”</p><p>Their mother stood up and looked around the bedroom for a small bookshelf. Having found it right next to the entrance of the room, she plucked two children's books and sat on the edge of Kazumi’s bed. The smiles she received from the twins upon returning with books in hand made melted her heart.</p><p>“Okay! I found two books you both will love!” She displayed both books in each hand. “Papa’s favorite book, <em> The Great Thief </em> , or Mama’s favorite book, <em> Dressed in Ashes </em>. We only have time for one book today, but I can read the other… one… next… time…”</p><p>She couldn’t help herself from trailing off after watching life get sucked out of her kids when they heard the choices, hanging her head low right after.</p><p>“Oh… I didn’t know you didn’t like these books…” </p><p>“N-No, Mama… We love those books…”</p><p>Instantly, she raised her head from hearing Kazumi’s confession.</p><p>“It’s just… well-”</p><p>“You and Papa ALWAYS read those two books AND all of the other ones there whenever you have the chance…” Based on Ren’s reluctance at that revelation, she knew that was something they’ve been wanting to say for a while.</p><p>“S-Sorry… I guess these two books meant a lot to me and Papa when we were both of your ages…” Nervous laughter left her as she rubbed a hand along the back of her head.</p><p>“We’re sorry, Mama…”</p><p>“We’re not good kids, are we…”</p><p>“Oh don’t say that!” Not wanting to hear them degrade themselves any longer, Mama stood up and gave the top of Kazumi’s and Ren’s head a kiss. “It just means Mama and Papa love you both so much, they want you to enjoy what they liked when they were kids! I guess we may have done that too much though, huh?”</p><p>All she got were silent nods.</p><p>“I know!” Mama clapped her hands and moved back to the edge of Kazumi’s bed to take a seat. “I have the best bedtime story ever! And isn’t something you’ve heard before!”</p><p>““Really!?”” The twins looked at each other from saying the same thing, laughing at the small awkwardness they created.</p><p>“Yup! But I can only tell the story and continue it under one condition!”</p><p>““What is it!?”” Once again, the twins laughed at their synchronous answer.</p><p>“You both have to do well in school!”</p><p>“Got it, Mama!”</p><p>“… Fine…”</p><p>This time, only Ren laughed, which was mainly targeted at Kazumi. Despite only starting school, she already knew how much he hated attending it.</p><p>“Then it’s a deal!” Mama tilted her head and clapped her hands with a smile. “Are you both ready?”</p><p>“Mhmm!”</p><p>“… Yeah…” </p><p>“Okay! Let’s begin!”</p><p>
  <em> Once upon a time, a Princess lived in a faraway Kingdom. This certain Kingdom was very different from the ones you know. You see, in that certain Kingdom, the royalty was very different. So instead of the Princess living inside a castle, she lived with her fellow townsfolk. </em>
</p><p>“That’s so cool!”</p><p>“It sounds like a really nice Kingdom!”</p><p>
  <em> Even though the Princess was of royalty, she still went to school! And that’s because education is very good for you! </em>
</p><p>“… I don’t like this Kingdom anymore…”</p><p>The drastic change in Kazumi’s mood put the story on hold since the storyteller needed some time to laugh alongside Ren.</p><p>
  <em> School just started recently for the Princess, and she was being sent to a very special school because of her hard work in chasing her dream. </em>
</p><p>“What was the princess’s dream, Mama?”</p><p>“W-Well, t-that’s a secret…” </p><p>“Awe…”</p><p>
  <em> To get to this special school, there was a HUGE magical carriage that could pick up many people at once. The Princess used this to get to school, as the school gave out special passes to their students that allowed them to ride the magical carriage whenever they’d like. Though, the carriage would feel pretty small inside since it would be full of students and townsfolk at the start and end of school, so it was important to get there early and claim a seat. If that didn’t happen, then you were left with no other choice but to stand on your two feet. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> During one of the carriage rides on the first few days of school, the Princess was able to claim a seat to herself. However, she noticed an old woman standing holding her heavy luggage. Because it’s important to respect your elders, the Princess offered the old woman her seat. As soon as the Princess stood up and the old woman responded, a businessman took the Princess’s seat for the old woman as his own! </em>
</p><p>“Noooooo!”</p><p>“That man is rude for taking a seat that wasn’t his!”</p><p>
  <em> The Princess tried to talk to the businessman to let him know the seat was for the old woman. He even looked at the Princess in the eye as she was speaking to him. </em>
</p><p>“Want to know what the businessman did?”</p><p>““What?””</p><p>“He fell asleep!”</p><p>““WHAT!””</p><p>“He’s a meanie!”</p><p>“Why would he do that!”</p><p>Mama giggled from the unexpected responses from the two.</p><p>
  <em> There wasn’t anything the Princess could do since the businessman went to sleep, finding herself in an awkward position for not helping out the old woman. That was until she heard a boy, a student a grade higher than her in fact, speaking to her. She was surprised to find him asking if he should “wake up” the businessman.  </em>
</p><p>“Did the Princess say ‘yes’?”</p><p>“Nope! She didn’t!”</p><p>“What! By why!?”</p><p>“Kaz! You’re ruining the story!”</p><p>“You started, Ren! You talked right when Mama started the story!”</p><p>“Nuh uh!”</p><p>“Yeah huh!”</p><p>“Nuh uh!”</p><p>“Yeah huh!”</p><p>“Nuh-”</p><p>“Don’t you two want to know what happened next?”</p><p>And just like that, the bickering ended.</p><p>
  <em> Not wanting to make this situation larger than it should be, the Princess respectfully declined the generous boy’s help, telling him that she could understand the reasoning behind the businessman’s actions. After an apology to the old woman for not being able to help her, which was accepted with reassurance that there’s nothing to worry about, the Princess offered to hold onto her luggage until she reached her stop. Though the old woman didn’t want the Princess to carry her heavy bags, the Princess convinced her by saying she does plenty of training, so it will feel like nothing to her. </em>
</p><p>“Training? Training for what?”</p><p>“T-That’s a secret, Ren…”</p><p>“You’re a meanie, Mamaaaa… It’s not good to have secrets…” </p><p>“Ren’s right!”</p><p>“But the story will be ruined if I shared the secret now…”</p><p>““… Fiiiiiine…””  </p><p>
  <em> It didn’t take long for the Princess to arrive at her stop, saying farewell to the old woman as she exited the carriage. Off in the distance, she found the generous boy walking away. Realizing she didn’t get the chance to thank him properly, the Princess ran to the boy and called to him. When he turned around, she gave him a courteous bow and a thank you for the kindness he showed. Though he was confused, the Princess reminded him of the help he offered when he spoke up for the older woman and explained that she wanted to thank him for that, especially since he’s an upperclassman because it would be rude of her if she didn’t. </em>
</p><p>“So the Princess thanked the boy because he was her senpai?”</p><p>“Yes! That’s correct!”</p><p>“But what if the boy wasn’t her senpai and was the same year as her?”</p><p>“How did the Princess know the boy was her senpai?”</p><p>“Did they even go to the same school?”</p><p>“Oh… That’s what I forgot… ” The mother sheepishly stared at the twins with a forgiving smile. “Well, when you two get older, you’ll have to wear a school uniform, and you’ll be able to tell what grade someone is in based on their school pins. But that won’t be until you’re 12. How many years is that from now?”</p><p>“Umm, if we won’t start wearing uniforms until we’re 12, and we’re, uh-”</p><p>“7 years!”</p><p>“Good job, Ren!”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>“That’s not fair! I was about to say 7!”</p><p>“But you didn’t! Now YOU’RE the slowpoke-”</p><p>“Ren…” Mama crossed her arms and watched her daughter’s attitude drop. “That wasn’t very nice…”</p><p>“… I-I’m sorry, M-Mama…”</p><p>“… And what are you supposed to tell Kazumi so he knows you’re sorry and could forgive you?”</p><p>It broke her heart to witness Ren begin to tear up.</p><p>“… I l-love you, K-Kazumi… A-A-And I’m sorry!” Ren hastily hid underneath her blanket, trying to drown out her sobs as the tears trickled down her face.</p><p>“It’s okay, Ren…” Kazumi crawled out of his bed and sat next to her sister, giving her a warm, tight hug. “I love you too... And I’m sorry for calling you a slowpoke when we were hiding from Mama…”</p><p>“I’m s-sorry for c-c-calling you a m-m-meanie…”</p><p>“R-Ren… You’re going to m-make me c-cry too…”</p><p>Before the tears could take shape in his eyes, Kazumi found himself and Ren in a tight embrace from their mother, who took an extra step in removing Ren’s bedsheet so she could let her cry on her shoulder.</p><p>“There, there. It’s okay.” Their mother ran a hand through Ren’s hair and a warm ruffle to Kazumi’s. “Do you want to know why?”</p><p>“W-Why, M-Mama…”</p><p>“Because you both love each other! You both said it twice tonight too, which means you both love each other even more!”</p><p>“B-But how does that m-make it okay… I w-was still mean to K-Kaz…” </p><p>“And I was m-mean to R-Ren too…” </p><p>“Do you remember why Papa said to say ‘I love you’ after you two get into a fight?” Upon receiving silent no’s, she gave them each a kiss. “When Papa first held you both, he said you should always tell each other you love them if you ever get into a fight.”</p><p>“W-Why did P-Papa say that-”</p><p>Ren stopped talking when her mother booped her nose. Kazumi laughed at his sister’s scrunched up face, soon finding his own nose getting booped.</p><p>“Papa said that because love makes everything feel better! Whenever things would get tough for Mama, Papa always made sure to tell me how much he loves me, even if it was for something really small. There would be times where I would make a face like this,” their mother made a quick pout, earning giggles from Kazumi and Ren, “because sometimes, he just wouldn’t stop.”</p><p>“Papa really loves you, Mama!”</p><p>“He really does. Sometimes, just thinking of Papa makes me smile and fall in love with him again because he means the world to me.” Mama hugged the twins tighter, showing them her own love while also trying to hide the blush that encompassed her face. “And now, you two are part of that world! Which means you two AND Papa mean the world to me!”</p><p>““Aww Mama! I love you!””</p><p>“I love you too, Kazumi and Ren! I love you both so very, very much!” With her face no longer red, she nuzzled her children’s faces. “Oh! We haven’t even finished the story yet!”</p><p>After receiving confirmation that she was right, Mama wiped Ren’s face from all of the tears that formed and re-tucked Kazumi into his bed after she gave them both another tight hug.</p><p>“Now, where was I again?”</p><p>“Umm, uniforms?”</p><p>“That’s right!</p><p>
  <em> The Princess and the boy wore similar school uniforms, she knew they went to the same school. As for him being an upperclassmen, she looked at the pins on the collar of his uniform. Since she was a first year and he was a second year, she wanted to show him her appreciation. After thanking him, she gave him another bow and pardoned herself so she could get to school on time. But get this! What she didn’t know was she thanked a Prince! </em>
</p><p>“Really? I remember that story very differently.” </p><p>The addition of a new voice forced Mama to turn away from the twins, staring at a figure with unkempt hair leaning on the entrance to the bedroom.</p><p>“PAPA!” Ren uncovered herself from her blanket and ran on top of her bed, using it as an extra boost to jump off of it and into her father’s arms, who slightly panicked when he caught her. “I missed you sooooo much!”</p><p>“D-Didn’t I say I’d be back home in time for your good night kisses?” After kissing her forehead, he adjusted his grip to cradle her in his arms.</p><p>“You did… But I still missed you…”</p><p>“It’s okay Ren, I missed you too.” Their father walked over to Ren’s bed and tucked her in. “Don’t think I forgot about you, Kaaaazumi!” Turning around, he ruffled Kazumi’s hair. “How come you didn’t jump into my arms like Ren?”</p><p>“Well, Mama’s sitting on my bed…”</p><p>Finding Kazumi’s statement to be true, Papa sat across from her on Ren’s bed.</p><p>“So… Did you miss me too?”</p><p>“Hmm, I don’t know…” Mama playfully looked up and placed a finger on the bottom of her chin. “Did I miss you?”</p><p>“I’ll take that as a no.”</p><p>“W-Wha-”</p><p>“That’s too bad too, because I missed you a lot.” He smirked at the sight of her face slightly becoming rosy and placed a hand over his eyes in faux disappointment. “And by a lot, I mean A LOT a lot.”</p><p>“B-But I was j-j-joking-”</p><p>“I was going to give you a piggyback ride too, just to show how much I missed you since I know how much you LOVE those…”</p><p>“H-Hey! I really m-missed-”</p><p>“Maybe next time…”  </p><p>Once he heard her gasp, he removed his hand and stared at her with his smirk growing.</p><p>“Y-You… You… MEANIE! Hmph!” Having said what was needed, Mama pouted and turned her head to face the entrance of the bedroom, not caring how Kazumi laughed at her as her hands formed into fists and shot out to her sides.</p><p>“Papaaaaa!” Ren sat up on her bed and pulled at her dad’s black blazer. “You made Mama mad…”</p><p>“Mama isn’t mad. Here, watch this.” </p><p>Papa stood up from Ren’s bed and moved in front of his wife. Chuckling at the coat of pink across the side of her face he could see, he got down on one knee and held onto both of her hands with his. She tensed her shoulders from the contact and closed her eyes as he expected, circling his thumbs on the back of both of her hands. Seeing that she was now relaxed after a few circles, he gave her three hand squeezes to signal her for what was soon to follow. Understanding his intent, she turned her head and looked down to face him, opening her eyes to be welcomed with a genuine smile.</p><p>“… You dummy…” She interlocked her hands with his and lifted him up from the floor, pulling him in for a kiss. “I missed you.”</p><p>“I missed you too.” He straightened himself and let go of her hands to envelop her in a tight hug, letting her head rest on his chest. “I’m home.”</p><p>“Welcome back!” She returned the gesture with a tight squeeze of her own, burying her face into his chest.</p><p>“By the way, you forgot to mention a few things from the story if it’s what I think it is.”</p><p>“Did I now?” Mama raised her head and met her husband’s grin with one of her own. “Why don’t you tell them then?”</p><p>“Don’t mind if I do!” Pecking his wife one more time, he released her from their shared embrace and sat back on Ren’s bed. “So you know how Mama called the boy a Prince at the end?”</p><p>““Mhmm!””</p><p>“She was wrong!”</p><p>““WHAT!””</p><p>He watched his wife roll her eyes from his claim as he laughed at the twin’s reaction.</p><p>“Yup! But Mama wasn’t 100% wrong. You see, the boy actually came from another land. There, he was a Prince.”</p><p>“Wait, Papa. If the boy was a Prince in his homeland but not in the Kingdom Mama told us the Princess is from, then what was he?”</p><p>“That’s actually the part I was going to say next.” He clapped his hands together and leaned forward towards the twins, who responded by also leaning forward. “The reason why the boy wasn’t a Prince in that Kingdom… was because he’s actually a Thief!”</p><p>“A Thief!? That sounds waaay cooler than a Prince!”</p><p>“… This boy sounds like a bad guy…”</p><p>“It’s okay, Ren. He was actually a good Thief, right?” Papa sent a wink over to his wife, who rolled her eyes once again. “Did Mama tell you how the Princess and Thief met?”</p><p>“She did! Umm, Mama said the Thief spoke up for an old woman and tried to help the Princess while inside the magical carriage. Then she said the Princess thanked the Thief and went to school, but the Princess didn’t know he was a Thief.”</p><p>“Ahh, I see…” A smug grin found its way on his face as he stared at his wife, who tilted her head as she didn’t know what he was thinking. “So Mama didn’t explain why the Thief helped out the Princess, did she?”</p><p>“… No? I don’t think so… But she called the Thief generous!”</p><p>“That’s part of the reason.”</p><p>“Part of it? What do you mean, Papa?”</p><p>“Yeah Papa, I’m lost.”</p><p>“There was another reason for why the Thief wanted to help the Princess.”</p><p>“W-What are you trying to do…” The mother found her face beginning to flare up from her husband’s cryptic words.</p><p>“Did Mama ever tell you what the Princess looked like?”</p><p>“Oh no.”</p><p>“Umm, I don’t think so…”</p><p>“Was she super pretty, Papa?”</p><p>“She-”</p><p>“S-She was, Ren!” Mama blatantly shouted, interrupting Papa. “S-She was s-s-super p-pretty!” </p><p>“Mamaaa! I wanted to know what Papa was going to say!”</p><p>“T-That’s-”</p><p>“Are you okay, Mama? Your face is-”</p><p>“I-I’m fine, Kazumi! I j-just remembered I h-have to, uhh…” She quickly got up from Kazumi’s bed and sped walked to the door. “G-Get Papa’s pajamas ready-Eep!”</p><p>While her plan to save herself was flawless, she forgot to include her husband into the mix. Just as she stepped outside of the twin’s bedroom, she felt her arm get grabbed from behind. Unable to react in time to try and wiggle her arm free, she was pulled into a VERY secure hug from her husband, who was smart enough to trap her arms so she wouldn’t be able to push herself away or cover her ears.</p><p>“I-I-um-you-”</p><p>“Almost had it, Ren! The Princess wasn’t just SUPER pretty; she was ABSOLUTELY pretty! Mama forgot to mention the Thief was INSTANTLY attracted to her prettiness and beauty when he first saw her waiting for the carriage.”</p><p>“I-uh-”</p><p>“What did the Princess look like, Papa? And what’s wrong with Mama?”</p><p>“I-It’s noth-”</p><p>“I’m glad you asked, Kazumi! Mama probably isn’t going to like how I describe the Princess…” He kissed her forehead and hugged her tighter as an apology for cutting her off, receiving a forceful squirm that made him hug her even tighter. “She probably isn’t going to like how the Thief was enchanted by the Princess’s flowing red hair that was tied in a ponytail by a charming red ribbon-”</p><p>“Just like the red ribbon Mama uses to tie my hair, Papa?”</p><p>“Mhmm! Just like the one Mama uses to tie your hair, Ren! There was also something about her movement too. In the Thief’s eyes, the way she moved was VERY graceful. It was as if time slowed down for him whenever she did something.”</p><p>“UM-”</p><p>“Wow! The Thief must’ve loved the Princess if this was the first time they met!”</p><p>“He did! He actually wanted to talk to her, but he had to keep his distance from everyone in this new Kingdom at first. So you could imagine how happy he was when he offered his help to her and the old woman.”</p><p>“T-THAT’S NOT-”</p><p>“Have I mentioned her eyes?”</p><p>“Y-YOU DID-”</p><p>“Mamaaaa! You’re lying! Papa said nothing about her eyes!”</p><p>“T-That’s because I-”</p><p>“Were they special too, Papa?”</p><p>“They were the most precious things the Thief saw that morning to school. Actually, they were the most precious things the Thief saw since his arrival in the new Kingdom.”</p><p>““Awwwww.””</p><p>“Want to know a secret?”</p><p>“S-Secrets aren’t good to keep-”</p><p>“It’s only a story, Mama…” </p><p>“Secrets are okay in stories!”</p><p>“B-But-”</p><p>“Don’t worry, it’s a secret for just the four of us!” The father presented another kiss to his wife’s forehead, whose attempts at using more force to try and escape fell flat as her face fell into deeper shades of red. “What the Princess didn’t know was the Thief would stare into her red eyes, mystified by how they beautifully matched her hair and ribbon. Luckily for him, the Princess never noticed-”</p><p>“Hey! Mama has red eyes and red hair, I have red eyes, and Kaz has red hair. Does that mean all of us are beautiful?”</p><p>“Not me! I don’t wanna be beautiful!”</p><p>“Kaaaaaaz!”</p><p>“Oh yeah! I almost forgot! There was one more thing the Thief admired about the Princess!”</p><p>“What was it, Papa?”</p><p>“Yeah! What was it?”</p><p>“P-P-Papa’s lying! There w-wasn’t anything else-”</p><p>Smiling at sight of the adorable redness on his wife’s face, he leaned his head down next to her ear so she would be the first person to hear him:</p><p>“She looked cute~.”</p><p>“SENPAI!”</p><p>Noticing what she blurted out, the mother shamefully turned her head to look at the twins, unable to move her whole body since her husband still prevented her from moving. She was immediately welcomed with giggles from Kazumi and Ren, who both pointed out what she yelled and how the blush on her face looked very similar to the color of her hair. She then turned her head back to her husband, who loosened his grip on her with a warm smile. The mother wasted no time in pushing him away, using both of her hands to cover her face as she ran out of the bedroom, only to return to give Kazumi and Ren their goodnight kisses before disappearing into the hallway again.</p><p>“Is Mama going to be alright?”</p><p>“She almost forgot our good night kisses because of you, Papa…”</p><p>“Mama’s alright.” The father walked to Ren and ruffled her hair. “She just didn’t expect me to call the Princess cute, that’s all.”</p><p>“Okay… But why did she run away after calling you ‘senpai’?”</p><p>“And why was the Thief no longer a Prince?”</p><p>“I’ll have to tell you both some other time since past your bedtime now-”</p><p>“Can it be the next story time, Papa?”</p><p>“Hmm, when do you want the next story time to be?”</p><p>While Ren fiddled her thumbs to think of when next time could be, Kazumi stated an answer. “Next Sunday!”</p><p>“Next Sunday? Hmm…”</p><p>“Mama also said if we do well in school, she’ll continue the story!”</p><p>“Y-Yeah… She did…”</p><p>“How about this: we let every other Sunday be ‘Storytime Sunday’! That way, while you both work hard in school for one week with Mama’s and Papa’s help, we’ll reward you both with a story!</p><p>“I like it! What about you, Kaz?”</p><p>All he did was groan.</p><p>“Tell you what!” Papa ruffled Kazumi’s hair. “If you do REALLY well in school, Mama and Papa might continue the story every Sunday night instead! And if you keep up the great work, we’ll also get you the new Neo Featherman R figurines that came out! Maybe I’ll even add that Masked Hopper transformation belt you’ve been looking at…”</p><p>Kazumi stared at his father in amazement. “Really Papa?”</p><p>“Mhmm! Your Papa is a man of his word!”</p><p>“Woooo! You’re the best, Papa! I love you!”</p><p>“I love you too, Kazumi.” He leaned over and kissed Kazumi’s head.</p><p>“C-Can I also get those too if I do well in school…”</p><p>“Of course you can, Ren!” The father stood up and leaned over to Ren to give her an accommodating kiss. "You might even get that baton from Precious Cure too..."</p><p>“Yay! Thank you, Papa! I love you!”</p><p>“I love you too, Ren.”</p><p>Having given his kids their good night kisses, the father walked to the entrance of the room and placed his hands on top of the light switch.</p><p>“Goodnight, Kazumi! Goodnight, Ren!”</p><p>““Goodnight, Papa!””</p><p>“Tell Mama I said goodnight!”</p><p>“Me too!”</p><p>“Don't worry, I think she already knows.”</p><p>With a flick of his wrist, he shut off the lights in the bedroom and gently closed the door, happy to see them begin to doze off. As soon as the door was closed, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist, utterly immobilizing him.</p><p>“… You meanie…”</p><p>“I didn’t go overboard, right?”</p><p>No words were said. Rather, his waist was just held onto tighter, feeling the head of the culprit press onto his back.</p><p>“I’m sorry-”</p><p>“… No you’re not…”</p><p>“Wha-Oof!” He didn’t expect her to hug his waist even tighter, starting to ache in a little pain.</p><p>“… That’s what you get for calling me that…” </p><p>“B-But you like it when I call you cute-Oof!”</p><p>“If you say it again, maaaybe you won’t be a meanie…” </p><p>Placing his hand on top of hers, he turned around so they would be facing each other. His wife used this chance to bury her face into his chest, stopping when she felt her chin get lifted.</p><p>“You’re so cute-”</p><p>Instead of an even tighter squeeze, he was surprised to find his wife standing on the tip of her toes, planting her lips directly onto his. Giving her credit for stealing a kiss, he crouched down a little and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up in the air and spinning around the hallway as they continued their loving moment. Though, she gasped briefly from when she was in the air, as she was accidentally tickled when her husband squeezed her waist. Knowing that they were at the entrance of their bedroom, which was a room away from the twin’s, they released each other from the kiss.</p><p>“You know that doesn’t count, right?” The father lowered his wife back onto the ground, his hands now resting on her waist.</p><p>“I-I know…” </p><p>The mother meekly responded to her husband, wrapping her hands around his neck as she closed her eyes and tensed herself for what was about to happen. A few seconds passed, and nothing happened. Wondering what was going on, the mother slowly opened her eyes to see what her husband was doing.</p><p>The moment she made eye contact with him, her anxious gaze being welcomed with his infamous smirk, her waist was poked three times, each poke being more robust than the previous one. It didn’t take long for her to cry out in boisterous laughter, tears eventually forming around her eyes from the pain of laughing too much. Aware that she’ll only get louder, her husband peacefully silenced her with another kiss, unintentionally causing her face to flare up when she let out a muffled gasp from the abrupt action.</p><p>“U-Uh-w-what was t-that f-f-for-”</p><p>“You were laughing really loud.”</p><p>“T-That’s because you tickled me! And you tickled me more than last time! Hmph!”</p><p>“I think you forgot who made that rule in the first place.”</p><p>“N-No… I didn’t forget…” The mother placed her head on her husband’s chest. “It’s just… Even though I got better at controlling it compared to the start of the year, it slips whenever you do something like that to me… And you made me say it in front of the kids too!”</p><p>As soon as his wife removed her head from his chest, he expected to be met with a pout. And he was absolutely right. </p><p>“Well, we could always f-forget about that rule on s-some days because I, umm, k-kinda miss h-hearing you call me t-t-that sometimes…”</p><p>The mother’s pout softened as she heard her husband’s confession, oblivious of the blush that lit up her face since she was too busy watching her husband’s blush become more intense. Knowing how vulnerable his mind is right now, she placed a hand on his face and kissed his cheek. As soon as he looked at her in shock, she placed her other hand on his other cheek and gave him three picks, letting the last one linger to mess with him.</p><p>“I have an idea!” </p><p>“W-What’s up-” He didn’t expect his wife to keep her hands on his face, playing with his cheeks by squishing them. “Umm…”</p><p>“Let’s make a new rule! If you purposefully make me call you that, then I should get something in return!”</p><p>“Oh? Like what?”</p><p>“You knooooow…” The mother clasped her hands behind her back and sent her husband a warm smile, a hint of pink coating her cheeks.</p><p>She was answered with a snicker.</p><p>“N-N-N-N-NOT THAT!”</p><p>"Oh? So you DON'T want to cuddle? Well that's a first..." </p><p>"H-HUH!?"</p><p>"Why? Did you have <em>other</em> ideas?"</p><p>"W-W-W-WHAT!?"</p><p>Hearing her stammer was too much for her husband to handle. He cradled his stomach, howling at his wife for falling for his immature joke as her already rosy face lit up to an intense red.</p><p>“UGHHHH YOU KNOW THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!”</p><p>“Y-Yeah! I, heheh, I know!” Able to breathe again, he turned around and bent his knees slightly, leaning forward with his arms spread behind him. “I’m waiting~.”</p><p>Still pouting at his crude joke, the mother took her time walking to her husband. Wanting to give him a hard time for mocking her, she fell forward and did her best at becoming dead weight, almost making him fall over when she landed on his back.</p><p>“That’s what you get for laughing at me… You meanie…” She wrapped her arms around his neck.</p><p>“Be honest, it was too good NOT to pass up.”</p><p>“Ugh.”</p><p>“Ready?”</p><p>He didn’t need a verbal response, as he knew her answer based off of the nuzzle he received to the side of his face. Taking that as his signal, he stood up and secured his arms around the back of her legs. Receiving a kiss on the cheek, he walked into their bedroom and dropped her off on their bed. Noticing that his set of pajamas were there, surprised to find his outdated black long-sleeved sweater and his olive sleep pants, he kissed his wife for her kindness and walked into the bathroom connected to their room.</p><p>Now in his sleepwear, he exited the bathroom to find his wife studying a glass case above the flatscreen television across their bed. Inside the glass case was a framed photo, one that had a man with black hair in a white suit carrying a woman with red hair that was tied into a bun from a white veil in a elegant white dress, both looking at each other with smiles of unconditional love and happiness. Hanging on each side of the photo were two Olympic gold medals, one from the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the other from the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, both won in women’s individual all-around rhythmic gymnastics. Underneath the photo was a silver medal, also won in women's individual all-around rhythmic gymnastics from the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.</p><p>“You still sure you want those here? I think they would look better with all of your other trophies and awards in the other room-”</p><p>“Nope! I like them right here!”</p><p>“Because you get to look at them before you go to sleep?”</p><p>“You dummy!” The mother playfully patted the spot next to her in their bed, motioning her husband to crawl right next to her after turning off the lights as they gazed into each other’s eyes. “I like them here because they remind me of the journey I went with the person I love in the entire world. And I guess you can say because I also love the photo… It’s just too good NOT to look at!”</p><p>“If you want, we can take another one like that in a few months. It’ll be our seven year anniversary, you know~.”</p><p>“We could… But I hope you know it’s not going to replace this one! Wait, I know! Let’s recreate that photo with Kazumi and Ren! We can use that for our holiday pictures this year!”</p><p>“Have I ever told you how smart you are?”</p><p>The mother giggled from that comment. “Says the one that’s a certified counselor.”</p><p>“You know that’s a different kind of smart, right?”</p><p>“Mhmm, suuuure it is.” The mother grabbed onto one of her husband’s arms and rolled around with her back now facing him, scooting closer to him as she let his arm wrap around her waist. “Oh! I forgot to tell you what we did before you got home!”</p><p>“I feel like I should be concerned..”</p><p>“C’mon, don’t be like that!” She played with her husband’s fingers for saying that. “We played hide-and-seek! Kazumi and Ren were so sweet! They were holding each other’s hands as they ran away from me, and it was so funny to see the face they made when I found them in the closet!”</p><p>“Heeey that’s not fair! You’re making it sound like I missed out on a lot of fun!</p><p>“That’s because you did!” She sneakily looked over her shoulder and pecked her husband. “Maaaybe we’ll let you play with us next time. But be warned! I’m the best at playing as the seeker!”</p><p>“We’ll see about that!” He gave her waist a few gentle pokes, getting giggles as his intended response. “And Morgana?”</p><p>“He kinda just fell asleep…” His wife pointed her head to a corner, where a black cat was found snoring on his custom tower. “I asked if he could play with the twins while I got dinner ready. I didn’t expect him to play tag with them and play his hardest.”</p><p>“It looks like he wants to also make memories with them too, since he’s technically an uncle to them.”</p><p>The mother laughed at the thought of Morgana being their uncle as she yawned. “Maybe so… I can’t believe the kids just started kindergarten last week… It feels like they’re growing up too fast…”</p><p>“I know that feeling… We just have to grow up just as quick so they don’t come close to us!”</p><p>“… You say some of the silliest stuff, you know that?”</p><p>“Only because you love the silly stuff I say.”</p><p>After a few giggles, the married couple gave each other a good night kiss, with the husband pulling his wife closer to him.</p><p>“Good night, Sumire. I love you.”</p><p>“I love you too, Akira. Good night.”</p><p>
  <b>4/11/2032 - Kurusu Residence</b>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>First things first, I want to apologize if some of the wording was confusing. Even though it was obvious who these characters are, I kinda wanted to keep the mystery-aspect afloat for this haha.</p><p>So, for those that have read the most recent chapter of Phantom's Game, you're probably wondering why this is here and not the final chapter, or why is this here even though I said I'm not sure when the next chapter would be out. Well, there's a funny story to that.</p><p>This entire idea was actually a shower thought two weeks ago haha. I was just studying one day and thought about an idea of Akira and Sumire having kids (twins!) and how they love bedtime stories. Then I thought about what if those bedtime stories were modeled from the events of P5R, with them being told as something similar to a fairytale... And that's pretty much what happened haha. Well, that and how there's somewhat of a lack of future fics of Joker and Sumire having a family together.</p><p>As of now, I'm still debating on where I would want to take this story, as I do want to continue it (though the update schedule will be inconsistent as heck), but I don't know if I should do the major key points of 5R's story or just focus on Joker's confidant with Sumire, which the latter will have slight changes (mainly to the scenes involving Sumire). That's primarily the reason for why this will be a one-shot for the time being. I did, however, think of some other plans so that the entirety of this won't just be P5R as a fairytale. For now, that will remain a secret.</p><p>I want to give a special thank you to Lucky_Se7en for being an awesome beta reader and for helping me flesh out some ideas!</p><p>Same Faith, Different Fate - https://archiveofourown.org/works/25029088/chapters/60612721</p><p>Btw, Kazumi and Ren are based off of goro_orb's comic where Sumire faints:<br/>https://mobile.twitter.com/goro_orb/status/1276908065158246400</p><p>Other inspirations:<br/>Errbin's Family AU Series<br/>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1830262</p><p>Skylin3's P3 fics (where the bedtime story aspect was inspired from)<br/>Through the Night - https://archiveofourown.org/works/25460095<br/>Bedtime Stories - https://archiveofourown.org/works/25519855</p><p>snkc_e's art that inspired the wedding photo<br/>https://mobile.twitter.com/snkc_e/status/1314574823461330944</p><p>Anyways, thank you for being a lovely audience. Until next time!</p><p>Edit: Okay, so for those that are rereading this, you may have noticed a few changes to the ending. Long story short, I aged up Akira and Sumire by 4 years and gave a silver medal to Sumire in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and a gold medal in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The reasoning behind this (which might be spoilers? I don't really know lol) is because after Sumire reaches the top of the summit and gets Olympic gold, she and Akira would get married the next year and would have Kazumi and Ren the following year. That would mean if she won a gold medal in 2020, she would be having the twins at 21. As possible as that is for her to have twins, I don't think she and Akira would be having a family at that young of an age the more I thought about it. There is another reason, but that's somewhat more spoiler territory. So yeah, we now have a slightly older Akira and Sumire with the twins still being the same age since they were born in 2026 rather than 2022. Hope that makes sense!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Fall of the Prince</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Akira tells Kazumi and Ren the story of how the Thief used to be known as the Prince.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello! There isn't really much to say here other than to enjoy and have fun with this story since it's basically no longer a one-shot, as it's now Fables instead of Fable haha.</p><p>Now without further ado, let's begin!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>4/15/2032 - Kurusu Residence </b>
</p><p>“… 3… 2… 1! Ready or not, here I-”</p><p>Removing his hands away from his eyes and opening them once he finished the countdown, Akira didn’t expect to see Kazumi standing in front of him in the kitchen with his head pointed at the ground.</p><p>“What are you doing?”</p><p>“… H-Hiding…”</p><p>“Uh huh…” Akira stared at the sullen state of his usually energetic son whenever it came to hide-and-seek. “Want me to count again? I can count from a higher-”</p><p>“N-No… J-Just tag me, P-Papa…”</p><p>Slightly bewildered, Akira did what was asked, poking Kazumi right on his forehead. Watching him sigh as his head recoiled back, Akira grinned and tickled him.</p><p>“H-Hey! I-I’m not, hehe, t-ticklish, P-Papa!”</p><p>“Mhmm, suuuuuure you’re not! I also think you’re not telling Papa something!</p><p>Akira continued his onslaught, making his tickles more aggressive the longer Kazumi continued to deny his accusation. Five seconds later, Kazumi gave up and sat on the tiled floor, motioning for his dad to squat in front of him.</p><p>“Me and Ren played a game of rock, paper, scissors… and the loser had to stand in front of the seeker and act invisible… or else the loser became the ultra loser…” Kazumi then raised his head to meet his father’s eyes, a glint of fire now burning in his soul. “And I don’t wanna be the ultra loser because I never lose!”</p><p>Kazumi’s admirable determination earned him a hair ruffle and head pat, as well as a chuckle from Akira when he learned of the small game the twins made.</p><p>“Didn’t you lose to Ren since you stood in front of me?”</p><p>The look on Kazumi’s face was priceless. </p><p>“NOOOOOOOOO!”</p><p>It didn’t help that he moved onto his knees and placed his hands on the floor, just like in those dramatic movies.</p><p>“How about we do this…” </p><p>By the time Kazumi raised his head again when he heard his father’s voice, his forehead received another poke. Rubbing the spot with one of his hands, he watched his father discretely signal him to move closer. Unsure of what to do, Kazumi followed his father’s orders.</p><p>“I COULD act like I never heard you lose…” Akira whispered to Kazumi, who nodded to know what else was next. “If you tell me where Ren is hiding-”</p><p>“You’re rude, Papa.”</p><p>“Wha-”</p><p>Kazumi backed away, doing his best to glare into his dad’s eyes.</p><p>“Ren MAY have beat me in rock, paper, scissors, and MAY have made me a loser, but I still have to protect her!”</p><p>“Protect her, huh?” A smile formed on Akira’s face. “Why’s that?”</p><p>“Because I’m the older twin AND older brother! You and Mama told me it’s MY mission to always protect Ren, and that’s what I’m gonna do! So HAH!” Kazumi poked Akira’s forehead. “I’ll never tell you where Ren is, and you’ll never-”</p><p>Once his father’s head bounced back, Kazumi realized what he did.</p><p>“I-I-I’m s-s-s-sorry, Papa! I d-d-didn’t mean to-”</p><p>Akira answered back by flicking Kazumi’s forehead.</p><p>“Ow… Papa! That hurt-”</p><p>Hearing his father chuckle froze his words. Giggling to himself, Kazumi decided to pluck his father’s forehead. The two continued this small game four more times, eventually growing red marks.</p><p>“Don’t tell Mama about this.” Akira covered their respective marks with their bangs as he lifted himself and Kazumi up from the ground. “If she finds out, we’re dead…”</p><p>“Not unless I tell Mama you started it!” Kazumi darted out of the kitchen like there was no tomorrow and ran to the stairs.</p><p>“K-Kazumi! Wait!</p><p>A small chase between father and son ensued, where Akira made Kazumi believe he had a significant lead. As soon as Kazumi reached the top of the stairs, Akira skipped every other step of the staircase, catching up to him and carrying him to his and his sister’s bedroom.</p><p>“Looks like you won’t be telling Mama anymore, huh?” Akira tucked Kazumi into bed, rigorously ruffling his hair. </p><p>“You’re silly, Papa!” Kazumi fixed the damage his father did. “I was never going to tell Mama!”</p><p>“Uh huh, suuuure you weren’t.”</p><p>“I wasn’t! But you should really find-”</p><p>“I think I have an idea where Ren is…”</p><p>“I didn’t mean Ren…”</p><p>“Hmm?” </p><p>Akira studied the disgruntled face that encompassed his son. After a few seconds, Kazumi rolled on his side away from his dad and wished him good luck on finding Ren, hiding a cheeky smile… </p><p>Not thinking too much about it since it could just be Kazumi acting giddy, Akira walked out of the bedroom and heard a voice calling his name. Focusing all of his attention on the voice, it appeared to get louder and clearer the closer he got to his and Sumire’s bedroom. It finally dawned on him whose voice he’s been hearing by the time he entered the room.</p><p>“Akira!”</p><p>‘You’ve gotta be kidding me…’</p><p>“She’s in the same spot like all the other times!” </p><p>“Shhhh! He’s going to hear you if you don’t stop, Morgana!”</p><p>Disappointed in the fun being spoiled, but also not surprised, Akira took his time getting to the double-doored closet Ren and Morgana were in, stomping his feet on the carpeted floor to let them know of his presence. When he grabbed one of the doorknobs, he heard a gasp from the other side.  </p><p>“I guess Ren isn’t in here after all… Maybe I’ll look somewhere else…” He let go of the doorknob and walked in place, silently moving to the wall where if Ren were to open the closet, the door would keep him hidden.</p><p>Seven seconds of complete silence passed.</p><p>“I think he’s gone…”</p><p>“He’s waiting for you on the other side-”</p><p>“That’s a good idea! We’ll hide in Papa’s and Mama’s clothes closet next!” </p><p>“That’s not even CLOSE to what I said!”</p><p>“You’re right! Papa’s and Mama’s jackets make this closet hot sometimes! The other one should be colder because you can actually walk inside it! You’re a smart kitty!” </p><p>“… Thanks? I-I guess?”</p><p>It took Akira all of his strength to hold back a snicker from the small conversation between Ren and Morgana, holding his breath when he saw the door creep open. There wasn’t much he could see due to the door blocking his vision, but he was able to hear soft footsteps exit the closet. Taking that as his cue, Akira slammed the closet shut, accidentally melting his heart when he saw how adorable his daughter looked with their cat resting on top of her head as they turned to face him.</p><p>“BOO!”</p><p>“KYAAAAAAAH!”</p><p>Five minutes later… </p><p>“Reeeeen…” Akira rocked her back and forth, wiping away her tears with his thumb before kissing her head multiple times. “P-Papa’s sorry! He’s really, really sooooorry!”</p><p>“H-Hmph!”</p><p>“Dad of the Year award goes to-”</p><p>“Quiet, Morgana!” Akira shot a quick glare at the cat perched on his shoulder. “Don’t act like this wasn’t your fault!”</p><p>“Oh c’mon! At least let me have SOME fun! You and Sumire said I was their uncle, remember?”</p><p>“That doesn’t mean you could-”</p><p>“P-Papa…” The hushed voice belonging to Ren caught the attention of the two.</p><p>“Y-Yes-” He didn’t expect his forehead to get poked.</p><p>“Y-You’re going to t-tell me and Kaz a s-story… or else you’re an u-ultra meanie…” </p><p>Those words broke his heart. There was nothing else he could do but give her and Kazumi an early story time. He didn’t want his little angel to call him an ultra meanie until the end of time… </p><p>“C-Can Papa get a kiss on the cheek first?”</p><p>“… After you carry me to my bed-”</p><p>Ren found her face getting nuzzled against her father’s face, giggling in delight as she received another kiss on her head. She soon found Morgana leaping onto her lap, hugging him tight as she was carried to her room.</p><p>“Wow Ren, you screamed like a girl!” Kazumi immediately poked fun at his sister when he saw her get carried into their room by their father with their cat in her arms.</p><p>“That’s because I AM a girl, Kaz!” Ren plopped Morgana onto the floor and allowed herself to be tucked into bed. “And n-no I didn’t!”</p><p>“Yes you did!”</p><p>“No I didn’t!”</p><p>“Yes you did!”</p><p>“No I didn’t!”</p><p>“Yes you did!”</p><p>“No I-”</p><p>“So!” Akira clapped his hands together and made a deafening noise, causing Ren, Kazumi, and Morgana to jump. “Since I owe Ren-”</p><p>“For scaring her?”</p><p>“Kaaaaaaz!”</p><p>“Umm… y-yeah…”</p><p>“Papaaaaa!” Ren rolled around in her bed and buried her face in her pillow. “You’re an ultra meanie…”</p><p>With a heavy sigh, Akira sat on Ren’s bed and ran a hand along her back, smiling when he heard her giggle.</p><p>“Since I scared Ren and didn’t want to be an ultra meanie-”</p><p>“Didn’t she just call you one, Papa?”</p><p>“S-She did… But I still owe her a story time-”</p><p>“YES! WOOHOO!” Kazumi punched the air multiple times from hearing the news. “You’re the best, Ren!”</p><p>She moved her head away from her pillow and gave her brother a warm smile prior to pouting at her dad.</p><p>“… You’re still an ultra meanie… but only if you don’t finish the story…” </p><p>Glad to see Ren’s pout softening to a gentle smile, Akira almost started the story when he remembered something… </p><p>“Hey, Kazumi, Ren?”</p><p>““Yes, Papa?””</p><p>“Where’s Mama? Shouldn’t she be here-”</p><p>He didn’t expect Kazumi to roar in laughter, forcing Morgana to cover his ears.</p><p>“Umm… is everything okay, Kazumi-”</p><p>“Mama’s going to be mad, Papa…”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>Ren sat up on her bed and rested her head on her hand. “You forgot again…”</p><p>“F-Forgot what…?”</p><p>Akira stared at Ren, who regrettably ignored him and decided it was best to pick Morgana up from the floor and stroke a hand along his back. The hushed purrs from the cat was all Akira could hear as he tried to remember what he forgot about… </p><p>“OH!” </p><p>He dashed out of the twin’s bedroom without a moment to lose, taking extra caution to not trip while running down the stairs to get to the kitchen. Standing in the same spot where he did the countdown, Akira took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on the one person that should always be on his mind. With the mental image as clearest as it could be, Akira opened his eyes, finding everything around his vicinity to be muted except a set of glowing blue footprints. Hesitantly following the path, the footprints led to a walk-in pantry next to their gas cooktop.</p><p>Cursing at himself for the situation he’s in, Akira put on the brightest smile he could muster and opened the pantry.</p><p>“H-Hey!” Inside the dark pantry was a woman with elegant red hair, who had her back against the entranceway. Akira walked in and made an attempt to hug her from behind. “I f-finally found you, S-Sweetie-”</p><p>“Liar…”</p><p>“S-Sweetie?” </p><p>“You’re. A. LIAR!” The woman turned around and pointed a finger at his face that forced him to walk backwards into the light. </p><p>“YOU said you WEREN’T going to forget about ME when we played last night after forgetting about me the last two games! And WHAT did you do? You forgot I was playing AGAIN!”</p><p>“U-Umm… I-I can explain-”</p><p>“THAT’S WHAT YOU SAID LAST TIME!” Now fully in the light, Sumire continued her assault on Akira, pressuring him to lean his back against the kitchen aisle near their induction cooktop. “AND ALL YOU DID WAS KISS ME!”</p><p>“B-But it was a good explanation! A-And you liked it a lot-”</p><p>“T-THAT’S BESIDES THE POINT!” Sumire took several deep breaths, calming the blush that almost took shape as the guilt of creating such a scene began to eat at her. “I even tried to make my hiding spot more obvious…”</p><p>“Oh?” Akira grinned from hearing her mutter. “Was someone still hungry-”</p><p>His grin soon disappeared when Sumire, face burning in a VERY intense shade of red that heated up the lens of her glasses, grabbed the front of his sweater and leaned really close to his face.</p><p>“D-D-Don’t you DARE finish that sentence, Akira Kurusu! O-Or else you’ll N-N-NEVER get another g-goodnight kiss for the rest of the week!” </p><p>He couldn’t explain it, but there was something about the flustered state she was in, along with her recent threat, that made him want to hug her and never let go. Well, that and how she didn’t notice how close her face was to his. Wrapping his arms around the small of her back, she finally realized the distance between their faces. Letting out an audible groan, she moved her arms from the front of his sweater to his around his neck.</p><p>“You’re lucky I love you so much.”</p><p>“And you’re lucky I love you how cute you are-”</p><p>Taking that as her sign, Sumire raised herself up to meet her husband’s lips, closing her eyes while giving him a kiss that took his breath away. Satisfied with himself at how flared up her face became after hearing her favorite word, Akira closed his eyes and lifted her up from the ground, only to put her back down when she shook her head and separated from the kiss. </p><p>“You know you’re still in trouble, right?” Sumire pouted at her husband, a glitter of pink dust still present on her cheeks.</p><p>“I-I know…” Akira moved a hand from her back and lifted her chin, taking in the sight of the pout he caused. “I-If it means anything, I was joking the first two times-”</p><p>“So you WEREN’T joking this time? Hmm? Is THAT what you’re telling me?” </p><p>“U-Umm…” The seriousness in Sumire’s face made him aware that sweet talking her would do absolutely nothing. “T-That’s right… And I-I’m a dummy-”</p><p>“That’s right!” The sudden change in her demeanor was enough to catch him off guard, shocked to find her pecking him twice. “You’re DEFINITELY a dummy, Sen-”</p><p>A pair of stunned grey orbs met a complimenting pair of astonished red ones upon hearing the slip up.</p><p>“I-I-I-I know!” Sumire pushed Akira away and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the living room while trying to hide her embarrassment. “B-B-Because you’re still in t-trouble, you’re not allowed to tickle me! S-So, you still have to carry me! G-Got it?!” </p><p>‘… Why is she so cute.’</p><p>“A-A-Aki?!”</p><p>“Huh?! Oh! G-Got it, Sumi!” </p><p>Happy to hear her nickname in response to saying his nickname, Sumire closed her eyes and waited patiently for her husband to get ready to give her a piggyback ride. He stood in front of her, holding both of her delicate hands in his. Her peaceful and excited hums were music to his ears.</p><p>“Ready?”</p><p>She squeezed his hands following an enthusiastic nod, placing a lot of trust in Akira so that when he let go and turned around, she could land on his back. While he freed her hands shortly after, he had another idea.</p><p>Taking advantage of how she couldn’t see anything, he quickly stepped around her.</p><p>“Heeeeey!” Sumire opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder with a pout as she whined, befuddled to find Akira wearing his disgusting smirk.</p><p>“Gotcha now~.” He whispered into her ear.</p><p>“Huh-EEP!”</p><p>Seeing her shudder from his whisper gave him the distraction he needed to hook an arm around her back and legs, raising her up in the air in the bridal carry she admired so much in the photo in their bedroom.</p><p>“A-A-AKIRA!” She wrapped her hands around his neck, looking at the ground and back at him with a startled red face that made him steal a short kiss.</p><p>“Yessss, Sumire?”</p><p>“T-T-THIS ISN’T WHAT Y-YOU WERE SUPPOSED T-T-TO DO!”</p><p>“But you said I still have to carry you-”</p><p>“N-NOT THIS KIND OF C-C-CARRY! PUT ME DOWN-”</p><p>“I’d love to,” he pecked her again, leaving her speechless for a moment, “but I don’t think you want to juuuuust yet~.”</p><p>“WHA-”</p><p>A grin formed on his face that met her shock. “For someone that doesn’t want to be carried like this, you seem to be enjoying it a lot~.”</p><p>“U-U-Umm-” There wasn’t much she could do besides kicking her feet lightly and lowering her voice. “C-C-Can you please p-put me down before-”</p><p>“Awwww.”</p><p>Sumire whimpered at the sound of a new voice, pouting at Akira for the embarrassment he made for her. He sent her a smile full of love, switching his attention to the little girl at the top of the staircase with a black cat on top of her head.</p><p>“I found Mama riiiiight here!” Akira took this chance to kiss the top of Sumire’s head, whose face burned further into red.</p><p>“H-Hi, R-Ren…”</p><p>“Kaaaaaz!” Ren ran back to her room, though her voice still echoed throughout the house. “Papa’s carrying Mama like in their photo again!”</p><p>“Look at what you did…”</p><p>“You know, you could always let go and force me to put you on the ground~.”</p><p>“B-But…” Sumire rested herself on Akira’s chest, securing the grip she had around his neck. “I’m a-a-already comfortable…”</p><p>“Hah! So you DO love it!”</p><p>Her whine was very faint, hiding her face along the crook of his neck just as Kazumi and Ren approached the top of the stairs.</p><p>“Is it true Mama’s face is red?”</p><p>“It’s true! I saw it with my own eyes! Morgana saw it too! Right, kitty?”</p><p>“… I didn’t…”  </p><p>“See! He knows I’m not lying!”</p><p>As the twins were busy conversing amongst themselves, Akira called to Sumire to show them her face. Though she shook her head and accidentally tickled him, he told her she’ll be rewarded with her piggyback ride by the end of the night. </p><p>She happily agreed to Akira’s compromise, though she had something up her sleeve. Loosening her grip on his neck, she tightened it again right when he turned his head to look at her, planting her lips onto his in a fierce kiss.</p><p>Akira let out a muffled gasp, having to catch his breath during the middle of it. He didn’t expect her to be bold enough to lean onto him in front of the kids.</p><p>““Awwwwww.””</p><p>“Mama really loves Papa!”</p><p>“Ren, look! Papa looks scared!”</p><p>“Hehe, you’re right! Scare him more so he doesn’t forget to find you again, Mama!”</p><p>He tried to back away so the kids would stop commentating on their kiss, only for Sumire to chase the lips that belonged to her.</p><p>“You’re not getting away that easily~.”</p><p>“WHA-”</p><p>And just like that, Sumire gave him one last smooch before hiding her face on his neck again.</p><p>“Hah! Papa’s face is red too!”</p><p>“Did you see Mama’s face though?”</p><p>“I did a little… But look at Papa’s!”</p><p>Akira watched the twins go back and forth about his blush, still amazed his wife dared to do such a thing.</p><p>“Hey, Boo Boo Bear…” Sumire twirled a little bit of his hair around her finger.</p><p>“Y-Yeah, Panda Boo?” </p><p>She giggled when she heard another one of her various pet names, nuzzling her face against his bearing the purest of smiles.</p><p>“Don’t forget about my piggyback ride!”</p><p>“You’re acting like I already forgot.” He presented her cheek with a kiss, telling the kids to go back to their room as he walked up the stairs. “How does after story time sound?”</p><p>“Story time?” </p><p>“Oh… right…”</p><p>On the small journey to the twin’s bedroom, Akira explained how he owed Ren a story after scaring her. Sumire laughed at him being called an ultra meanie, telling him there was no point in hiding the truth any longer. </p><p>His response? He jokingly threatened to not cuddle her tonight, something that made her kiss his cheek as a means to change his mind. By the time she heard him chuckle, she pinched the same cheek and pouted. She didn’t give him the opportunity to apologize, keeping the pinch going until he placed her on Kazumi’s bed just like the previous story time.</p><p>With the twins now laughing at the red mark on his face, as well as Sumire smirking at what she did, Akira asked if everyone was ready. </p><p>“Mhmm!”</p><p>“I’m ready, Papa! And so is Morgana!”</p><p>“… What’s this about stories?”</p><p>“Will this be as good as last week’s story?”</p><p>“O-Of course it will!” Akira felt slightly offended by Kazumi’s comment… “Alright! It’s showtime!”</p><p>
  <em> Long ago, in a very distant land, there was a very old Kingdom surrounded by many mountains. In fact, this old Kingdom used to be the capital of the nation before that role was taken by the new Kingdom </em>
</p><p>“Is the new Kingdom the one where the Princess lives and meets the Prince?”</p><p>“Reeeen! The Prince is a Thief, remember?”</p><p>“B-But… I like calling him a Prince more than a Thief…”</p><p>“You’re going to ruin the story like that!”</p><p>“Kaaaaaz!”</p><p>“It’s okay, Ren! I like calling him a Prince more than a Thief too!” Sumire glanced over to Akira and stuck out her tongue.</p><p>“Mamaaa! Not you too…” </p><p>“U-Umm, I know!” Akira clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. “We’ll call him a Prince-”</p><p>““Woo!””</p><p>“Awe…”</p><p>“For now!” He watched Ren and Sumire pause their celebration and Kazumi’s disappointment vanish. “Because there’s a part in the story where he HAS to be called a Thief!”</p><p>“… Ren, what did you call Papa earlier?”</p><p>“I called Papa an ultra meanie, Mama!”</p><p>“That’s right!” The eyes of both girls drilled into Akira’s soul, more because they were more precious than menacing. “Papa’s also an ultra dummy!”</p><p>“Mamaaaa!” Sumire turned her head to see Ren looking sad. “That was mean…”</p><p>“H-Huh?”</p><p>“You’re an ultra meanie, just like Papa!”</p><p>“Yeah Mama, you’re an ultra meanie!” Kazumi pointed at both of his parents with an eager face. “And ultra meanies HAVE to sit together!”</p><p>“Sit next to Papa, Mama! That way, you both can be ultra meanies together until the end of the story!”</p><p>Safe to say, the married couple were speechless. Were their kids secretly trying to get them to act all lovey-dovey in front of them again? </p><p>Regardless, Akira locked eyes with Sumire and patted the spot right next to him on Ren’s bed with the warmest of smiles. Unable to make him change his mind so he’d be the one to move instead, Sumire got up from Kazumi’s bed and sat next to her husband, resting her head on his shoulder.</p><p>“Ready?”</p><p>“Yup!”</p><p>“Continue the story!”</p><p>“Not quite…” With much swiftness and grace, Sumire grabbed Akira’s arm and wrapped it around her waist. “There! Now I’m ready, Darling~!”</p><p>Running a thumb back and forth on her waist, Akira continued the story once he heard Sumire hum in glee.</p><p>
  <em> One of the cool things about this old Kingdom compared to the new one was how peaceful it looked. While the new Kingdom was more modern and up to date, the old one was filled with LOTS of history. When you were outside of the village area, there were many temples and shrines that surrounded it, with the trees matching the colors of the season. </em>
</p><p>“Are we not going to learn about the Prince tonight…”</p><p>“I was actually going to talk about him right now!”</p><p>“Yay!”</p><p>
  <em> Just like the Princess in the new Kingdom, the Prince and his family lived with their fellow townsfolk. They were actually a well-known family because of how generous his father, the King of the land, was to all of his neighbors, even though they expected him to act mean and cruel because of his royalty. </em>
</p><p>“The King sounds like a really nice person!”</p><p>Sumire felt the hand on her waist tense up. Concerned, she raised her head to check on her husband.</p><p>“That he was, Ren,” Akira eased the hand resting on his wife, kissing the top of her head, “that he was…”</p><p>“D-Did school exist in t-that Kingdom too, P-Papa…”</p><p>“Hmm? Oh, of course it did!”</p><p>“Urgh.”</p><p>“Don’t you remember, Kazumi?” Sumire placed her hand on top of Akira’s and held it tight, all while staring at her son. “Education is very good for you!”</p><p>“Y-Yes Mama, I know…”</p><p>“Remember! If you do well in school, you’ll get more stories!”</p><p>“Which is why I’m doing my best, Papa! And Kazumi is too, even though he doesn’t want to be-”</p><p>“Reeeen!”</p><p>“Hehe, it’s only a joke! Because I looooove you, Kazumi-niichan~!”</p><p>“… I love you too, Ren…”</p><p>
  <em> The Prince lived happily with his father, the King that was mentioned earlier, his mother, the Queen, and his younger sister, the Princess. Even though the Prince and the Princess would argue over the funniest things, such as who gets the last piece of takoyaki or melonpan, they still loved each other. </em>
</p><p>“Did the King and Queen make the Prince and his sister do what you have me and Kaz do?”</p><p>“Yup! That’s correct!”</p><p>“So that means the Prince and his sister-”</p><p>“Why aren’t you calling her a Princess?”</p><p>“Cause I like the other Princess more!”</p><p>“But the Prince’s sister is also a Princess! You should call her one too-”</p><p>“Tooooo bad! The Princess from the new Kingdom is super pretty, so I’m calling this one his sister!”</p><p>“Reeeeeen!”</p><p>“Hehe, Kaaaaazumi-niichan~!”</p><p>Akira leaned his head on Sumire’s, grinning at her rosy cheeks from Ren’s description of the Princess from the new Kingdom. “Should I just call her the Prince’s sister instead?”</p><p>“M-Maybe just for now… The kids could get confused…”</p><p>“Y-Yeah… If you think about it, she isn’t really too important to the story either-”</p><p>“Oooooh I’m telling Ayaka-san!”</p><p>“W-Wait don’t! I was only joking-”</p><p>“Mhmm, suuuure you were!”</p><p>“But I was!”</p><p>“Papaaaaa!” Akira turned his head to find Kazumi waiting patiently and Ren tugging at the sleeve of his sweater. “You’re forgetting the story!”</p><p>He apologized for losing focus, pinching Sumire’s waist to punish her for making that joke.</p><p>
  <em> The King and Queen made sure the Prince and his sister- </em>
</p><p>“Yay!”</p><p>The parents laughed while Kazumi groaned.</p><p>
  <em> The King and Queen made sure the Prince and his sister had great manners and ALWAYS looked presentable whenever they left the castle, whether it was for school or to walk around and talk to the townsfolk. The Queen also told the Prince when he was really young to take care of his sister whenever they were together, with the King telling him to make sure no boys talked to her unless he approved of them as a joke. </em>
</p><p>“How did the Prince and his sister look? Were they super pretty like the Princess?”</p><p>
  <em> Just like the Princess, the Prince’s sister was super pretty. She wore black-rimmed glasses that kept the beauty of her light blue eyes hidden, sweeping the bangs of her black hair that had purple highlights to the right as she let her hair flow down her back with the exception of two locks of hair in front of her that were decorated with two small light purple ribbons. On days where she felt lazy, or when the Prince was rushing her so they wouldn’t be late to school, she placed two hair clips that had a red flower on the left side of her hair and tied the rest of her hair into a low braid held in place by one of the small ribbons, letting it rest over her right shoulder. </em>
</p><p>“Papa, who do you think is prettier? The Princess or the Prince’s sister?”</p><p>Akira could already feel Sumire hiding her face from hearing Ren’s question.</p><p>“If I had to choose…” He lifted Sumire’s chin with the hand not resting on her waist and gave her a simple kiss, one she happily accepted before shielding her face with her hands.</p><p>““Awwwww!””</p><p>“It’d have to be the Princess. She reminds me A LOT of Mama.”</p><p>“Because they both have red hair?”</p><p>“Yup! And because she’s also cu-”</p><p>“M-M-MOVING ON WITH THE STORY!”</p><p>“Mamaaaa! You interrupted Papa again!”</p><p>“Let Papa finish talking first before we continue the story!”</p><p>Left with no other choice, Sumire closed her eyes and placed both of her hands on top of Akira’s, moving it to wrap around her waist.</p><p>“The Princess reminds me a lot of Mama because…” He smiled as Sumire pressed her head on his shoulder. “They’re both cute.”</p><p>““Awwwww.””</p><p>“S-S-Senpai…” She whined into his ear in a hushed voice.</p><p>
  <em> As for how the Prince looked, well, you’re looking at him! </em>
</p><p>“WHAT!”</p><p>“PAPA’S THE PRINCE?”</p><p>The twins asked various questions from the revelation, only to find their father and Morgana laughing.</p><p>“Gotcha! It was a joke!”</p><p>“Boooooo!”</p><p>“Papa…” Ren gave his arm a small pinch. “That was mean…”</p><p>“S-Sorry, Ren…”</p><p>“Kaz, what’s Papa?”</p><p>“He’s an ultra meanie now!”  </p><p>“T-T-They’re right…” Akira peeked over to his wife. “Y-You’re an u-u-ultra meanie…” </p><p>He chuckled at being labeled as an ultra meanie by everyone.</p><p>
  <em> The Prince, just like the King, had black hair but had the Queen’s grey eyes. Unlike the King, the Prince’s hair was usually kept messy, much to the discomfort of his sister and the Queen. But here’s the thing, the messy hair was actually part of the Prince’s charm! </em>
</p><p>“Papa, can you tell us what the King and Queen look like before you talk more about the Prince?’</p><p>“Do we REALLY need to know what the King and Queen look like?”</p><p>“Kaaaaaz! Of course we do! The King and Queen are the Prince’s parents! It’s not fair if we only learn about how the Prince and his sister looked!”</p><p>“Huh… then I agree with Ren!”</p><p>“Well in that case, let’s start with the Queen!”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>
  <em> The Queen was a pretty lady because of her hair, which was very similar to the Prince’s sister. The major difference was the color would change depending on the angle you would look at it. If you looked at her hair one way, it would be black. If you were to look at it a different way, it would be purple. It was one of her traits that mystified those that saw her, as they had to take the time to take in the beauty of their fellow Queen.  </em>
</p><p>“The Queen sounds a lot like Shion-obaasan because of her hair..."</p><p>“Doesn’t the Prince’s sister’s hair remind you of Ayaka-neesan too?”</p><p>“Oh… you’re right…” </p><p>Nervous laughter left Akira.</p><p>
  <em> As I mentioned earlier, the Prince had the same color eyes as the Queen, which were grey. Compared to the Prince, however, her grey eyes were more mysterious. So while the townsfolk were too busy paying attention to her hair, the Queen’s eyes made them question if they were even allowed to look at her. Luckily for the Prince and his sister, they were able to tell what the Queen was thinking, as they were able to see her unconditional love for her family. Never once did the Queen lose hope for her loved ones when things got tough, something the King taught her when they were young. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Speaking of the King, the color of his hair was the same as the Prince’s, which was black! He always kept his hair swept to the side because as the King of the land, he had to ALWAYS look presentable. Though, on the days where he would stay at home and spend time with his family, he made his hair look as messy as the Prince’s. That was one of the many things the King would do with the Prince to have some fun, other than playing catch at the park, going fishing at one of the local ponds, greeting the townsfolk, visiting one of the many temples when things got challenging for the Prince, or walking through the beautiful scenery of the old Kingdom as the leaves changed colors. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The King’s eyes were the same light blue color as the Prince’s sister, which matched perfectly with the Queen’s mysterious grey eyes given that he also wore glasses. If you were to look into the King’s eyes, all you would see was kindness, gratefulness, compassion, and love for his family. </em>
</p><p>Again, Sumire felt the hand around her waist slightly tighten up. She gave the hand a supportive squeeze, a small act that eased the tension that started to build in the storyteller’s voice.</p><p>“Was the King loved by everyone?”</p><p>“Papa said the King was generous and really nice, so maybe…?”</p><p>“The King was… yes…” Akira took a deep breath, lowering the tension he had on his wife’s waist with an apology. “Since he was the one that taught the Queen to never lose hope, you could imagine the kind of person he was. No matter what would happen to someone, the King never gave up on them… A-Anyways!” He cleared his throat for a brief second. “Back to the Prince!”</p><p>
  <em> While the Prince wasn’t a social butterfly, he was a very dependable person, both in and out of school. For some reason, a majority of the townsfolk would always share stories with him, such as what they did over the weekend or things they heard around town. He also was given a tutoring position at his high school, something he didn’t know he needed but decided it would look good on his school transcript when choosing a college or university in the future.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Here’s where things got interesting. For some reason, all of the girls would ask him for help in school, whether it would be in literature, history, or math. It wasn’t until one of his tutoring sessions that he found out the reason why. You see, one of his neighbors that appreciated his help explained everything to him: all of the girls in school were MADLY in love with him. </em>
</p><p>“W-Wha-”</p><p>The sound of Sumire’s meek voice caught Akira’s attention, meeting her flustered face with a grin.</p><p>“Wait Papa, so all the girls were in love with the Prince in the old Kingdom?!”</p><p>“Yup! That’s correct, Kazumi!”</p><p>“That’s so cool!” </p><p>“I don’t know how I feel about the Prince anymore…”</p><p>“Don’t worry, Ren! It gets better!” </p><p>
  <em> Once the Prince learned about that, he started to notice major changes at school. At first, he would greet everyone around the hallway, as that’s what the King and Queen taught him. When he heard about the information from the person he was tutoring, however, he noticed ALL of the girls in the hallway would greet him in a way that made all of the other boys jealous. They would all line up against the walls, calling the Prince to get his attention and waving their hands in a romantic way. You could already imagine how full his locker was on Valentine’s- </em>
</p><p>Suddenly, Akira felt Sumire hug his waist tight. </p><p>“Umm, Sumi-dear?” He looked at her all confused, watching her move her head from his shoulder to his lap and staring up at him. “E-Everything okay?”</p><p>“Yup! Everything’s a-okay, Aki-darling~!”</p><p>“You sure? You-” </p><p>That’s when he felt her arms tighten, forcing him to lean his head closer to hers to be more comfortable.</p><p>“I just want to remind a certain someone how he’s ALL mine and how I’m ALL his, but also how selfish I can be~.”</p><p>“H-HUH?!”</p><p>He stared in awe at the smug grin across her pink-coated face that followed her whisper, not having enough time to react when she raised herself up and pecked him.</p><p>“S-S-S-SUMI!”</p><p>“Hah! Papa’s face is red again!”</p><p>“Now he’s NEVER going to forget to find you, Mama!”</p><p>“U-U-Uhh-” </p><p>“I’m just trying to be comfortable, Aki~.”</p><p>There wasn’t much Akira could do but let Sumire do what she wanted. </p><p>“C-Continuing with the story…” </p><p>
  <em> One night, the Prince ended up going to a schoolmate’s house to help them out with their studying. He ended up staying much longer than he intended because by the time he left, the sun was already gone. Knowing his family would be worried if he didn’t get back within the next 10-15 minutes, the Prince began to run to the nearest bus stop. That’s when he heard something off in the distance.  </em>
</p><p>Ren covered her face with her blanket and held onto Morgana, starting to appear frightened from what could follow next. On the other hand, Kazumi adjusted himself in his bed to hear the story. Knowing what’s going to be told, Sumire gave Akira a benevolent squeeze, in which he responded by running a hand through her hair.</p><p>
  <em> The closer and closer the Prince got to the noise, the more pristine it got. Once he turned the corner onto a road, that’s when he heard a male and female voice as clear as day. Not liking what he was hearing, the Prince ran to where the voices were, finding out the male voice belonged to a dizzy man wearing orange-lensed glasses and the female voice belonging to a woman trying to get away from the dizzy man.  </em>
</p><p>“W-W-What was the man d-doing to the w-w-woman, P-Papa…” </p><p>Just as Akira was going to comfort Ren, Kazumi got out of his bed and hugged her.</p><p>“It’s okay to be scared, because Kazumi-niichan is here to not make it scary!”</p><p>She hugged her brother back, not aware of the smiles that formed on their parents’ faces. “T-T-Thank you, K-Kazumi-niichan…”</p><p>
  <em> By the time the Prince made it to the two adults, the dizzy man started to force the woman to listen to him. The dizzy man used every chance he got to belittle the woman, telling her she’s a waste of time and shrugging off her threat of calling the Knights Order, claiming they were under his control. Well, that was until the horses of the Knights Order were heard off in the distance. In a somewhat panicked frenzy, the dizzy man started to become more forceful on the woman, trying to push her inside their carriage. That’s when he noticed the Prince around the corner of his eye. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> As the Prince stood there, thinking of how to intervene, the dizzy man yelled at him to go away, as what was happening in front of him isn’t some kind of theatre show. The dizzy man then put his focus back on the woman, commanding her to get in the carriage before the Knights Order arrived on the scene. It was when he saw the dizzy man wrapped his arms around the woman, who let out a final cry for help, that the Prince took action. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The Prince yelled at the dizzy man to get his hands off of her, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him off the woman before standing in between them. The two of them watched the dizzy man stumble, eventually falling over and bumping his head off the guard rail next to the carriage. When the dizzy man lifted his head from off the ground, the Prince and woman saw a cut had formed, blood now being visible with his glasses shattered on the floor. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Angered, the dizzy man covered his face and directed his rage towards the Prince. </em>
</p><p>““D-D-Did the dizzy man a-attack the P-Prince?””</p><p> Akira didn’t expect the twins to ask the same question, nor did he expect them to shudder.</p><p>“Nope! He actually just told the Prince something.”</p><p>““W-What did he s-say?””</p><p>“He said: ‘Foul scoundrel, I’ll make sure you receive punishment!’”</p><p>“Did he s-s-say it all scary, l-l-like how you said it, P-Papa?”</p><p>“Y-Yeah, Papa! W-Was it scary?”</p><p>“You know, now that I think about it, it wasn’t that scary. It was more like: ‘FoUl ScOuNdReL, i’Ll MaKe SuRe YoU rEcEiVe PuNiShMeNt!’”</p><p>The twins laugh as intended at the silly voice, although Sumire gave him another comforting squeeze.</p><p>“How come he sounds like a dummy?”</p><p>“Well, that’s because he was!” Akira took this chance to answer his wife’s squeeze with a gentle poke, her blissful giggle fitting perfectly with the twin’s laughter.</p><p>“I know! He’s an ultra dummy!”</p><p>“Yes! The ultraest of dummies!”</p><p>The parents had to give their kids credit; they said a funny joke. </p><p>
  <em> After the dizzy man yelled at the Prince, the woman tried to interfere by reminding the dizzy man of something he did in the past. Unfortunately, the dizzy man turned the tables on the woman, reminding her with something that could destroy her entire life and claiming he was untouchable. The dizzy man then forced the woman to create a false statement when the Knights Order arrived, saying the Prince was the reason for the dizzy man’s cut.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> While the woman was confused, the Prince used this chance to tell the dizzy man he fell on his own accord. </em>
</p><p>“Want to know what the dizzy man did next?”</p><p>““What did he do?””</p><p>“He apologized!”</p><p>““WHAT!””</p><p>“Yup! That’s correct!” He could already feel Sumire giving him a questionable stare, responding back with a cheeky one of his one. “The dizzy man said: ‘My apologies. I’ve just been on edge because everything’s been stressful. It’s on me. Goodbye.’”</p><p>““… HUH?!””</p><p>While Akira laughed, Sumire playfully pinched his cheek, forcing him to tell the truth. The twins were sad to find out the dizzy man didn’t feel sorry for what he did to the Prince, feeling more sad when the Knights Order recognized the dizzy man and did what he said with no questions. Ren started to cry on Kazumi’s when the woman told the Knights Order that the Prince was responsible for everything, who did his best at comforting her.</p><p>
  <em> The Prince wasn’t able to go home that night, having to stay in the Kingdom’s Dungeon until the King and Queen found out what happened. Though they had various questions, the Prince ignored them at first, wallowing in darkness when he was told he would have to go to court. The King and Queen did everything in their power to get the Prince the best connections, knowing for a fact the story they were told didn’t match the child they raised. Alas, when it was time for the court hearing, the Prince was given Divine Retribution, forcing him to move away from the old Kingdom for a year and staining his life with a criminal mark for the rest of eternity. The King and Queen were upset at how quickly the trial was processed, but there was nothing they could currently do but accept defeat. </em>
</p><p>“Couldn’t the King and Queen use their royalty powers to help the Prince?”</p><p>“They tried, but they were immediately denied since they weren’t allowed to abuse that kind of power.”</p><p>“Awe…” </p><p>
  <em> Because the Prince now had a criminal mark attached to his life, he was expelled from his old high school. When he would walk through the neighborhood to get some fresh air during the first week he got home after the trial, he was no longer seen as the dependable person everyone recognized him. All he got were looks of rejection from all of the townsfolk, even getting yelled at from the girls that used to admire him and attacked by the boys who were already jealous of him. The only ones that didn’t treat the Prince like some force of evil were the King, the Queen, and his sister. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Things remained that way until it was time for the Prince to leave for the new Kingdom, the King using his connections to find him a place to stay as well as a school to attend. The Prince had his clothes and other belongings sent to the new Kingdom a few days earlier, a recommendation the Queen suggested so he could pack light while on the pegasus ride. Having everything that was needed, the Prince was ready to embark to his new destination, saying farewell to his family who promised to write him letters as that was the only type of communication that was allowed in his Divine Retribution.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Before the Prince vanished for his journey, the King called out to his son. As a farewell gift, the King gave the Prince a pair of glasses, wanting to use them as a memento so that he would know his family will always be there to support him. One final hug was all they had time for, vanishing from each other’s sites when it was time to leave. </em>
</p><p>“And it looks like we’re going to have to end the story there since it’s past your bedtime!”</p><p>“Booooo!”</p><p>“Papaaaaa!” </p><p>“What’s wrong?”</p><p>“You were supposed to tell us a happy story… not a sad or scary one…” </p><p>“O-Oh…” Lifting Sumire off of his lap, who tucked Kazumi into bed and gave him a goodnight kiss, Akira comforted Ren and also gave her a goodnight kiss. “I promise the next story won’t be as sad or scary. How does this Sunday sound?”</p><p>He knew her answer based on the kiss he received on his cheek.</p><p>“Thank you for the story, Papa! You’re not an ultra meanie anymore!”</p><p>Unable to help himself, he poked her forehead and chuckled. Ren pouted, deciding to laugh when Morgana jumped out of her arms and onto her dad’s shoulder.</p><p>Akira and Sumire then switched spots to give the other twin their respective goodnight kisses. While he was ruffling Kazumi’s hair, Sumire jumped on his back and wrapped her arms around his neck, almost causing him and Morgana to fall over.</p><p>“Ow!”</p><p>“S-S-Sumire!”</p><p>“You still owe me a piggyback ride, remember?”</p><p>“I-I know! B-But you could warn me next time so Morgana doesn’t-”</p><p>“Toooo bad!” She kissed his cheek and gave him a nuzzle. “You just have to be more prepared! And, u-umm, I’m sorry, Morgana!”</p><p>“No worries, Sumire!” He jumped off of Kazumi’s bed and jumped back on Akira’s shoulder. “It’s no big deal.”</p><p>“Oh, we’ll see about that!” Akira peeked over his shoulder and gave his wife a smooch, one that made her rest her head on his shoulder as he hooked his arms around her legs and stood up.</p><p>““Goodnight, Kazumi! Goodnight, Ren!””</p><p>“Papa and Mama love you both soooo much!”</p><p>“Papa loves you both more!”</p><p>“Nooooo, Mama does!”</p><p>“That’s a lie! Papa does-”</p><p>The giggles from the twins made Akira and Sumire stop their small game, listening to what they had to say.</p><p>“Ready, Ren?”</p><p>“Ready!”</p><p>“Okay! 1, 2, 3!”</p><p>““Goodnight Mama and Papa! We love you both so much!””</p><p>“Awwww!”</p><p>‘They’re too adorable for their own good…’ </p><p>“Oh! And goodnight, Morgana!”</p><p>“Goodnight, kitty!”</p><p>“Heh, goodnight!”</p><p>Akira made sure the kids saw him and Sumire one last time before turning off the light in their room and closing their door.</p><p>“That was an interesting story… and you plan on telling them everything?”</p><p>“Well, that’s the plan. Hopefully they don’t connect the dots, haha…”</p><p>“… I think you’ll be fine. But make sure you don’t forget to tell me when the next story is going to be told!”</p><p>“To be fair, Sumire was the one that started it.”</p><p>Both Akira and Morgana stared at Sumire, who blushed and lowered her head. </p><p>“T-They wanted a bedtime story… a-and we didn’t have any more books to read them-”  </p><p>Sumire raised her head the moment she heard Akira laugh. Pouting with a fever, she pinched his cheek and gave it a wiggle until he started walking.</p><p>“I’m a little scared though…” </p><p>“What’s wrong?”</p><p>“I think I know what it is…” </p><p>Akira felt her arms tighten around his neck. He stood still for a moment, where Morgana used this as his cue to jump off of his shoulder and leave them alone.</p><p>“We’ll tell them together.”</p><p>Despite the words being simple, that was exactly what Sumire needed to hear.</p><p>“You’re the best, Senpai…” </p><p>“Wow, you’re REALLY taking advantage of how I can’t tickle you tonight, huh?”</p><p>“Hehe, that’s right!” She giggled and nuzzled his face again. “I looooove you, Akira-senpai~!”</p><p>“You’re so lucky I can’t tickle you right now… And I loooooove you too, Sumire~!” </p><p>Akira resumed his walk to their bedroom, the both of them surprised to see Morgana already sleeping on his tower. Finishing up their nightly routines, they both crawled into their bed, Sumire resting her head on Akira’s chest as he wrapped an arm around her back.</p><p>“Can I ask you something, Akira-senpai?”</p><p>“Only if I get to tickle you-”</p><p>A kiss was all that was needed to silence him.</p><p>“Umm, I w-want to know…”</p><p>“Yesssss, Sumi-dear?” </p><p>She draped an arm over his chest.</p><p>“A-Are you okay with w-what you talked about earlier?”</p><p>Akira took a deep breath, unknowingly tensing up a hand he has on Sumire for the third time tonight.</p><p>“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have asked-”</p><p>“N-No, you’re fine.” He moved a lock of hair that covered her eyes, wanting to stare into them. “I guess, maybe today was one of those challenging stories, you know?”</p><p>He felt her arm tense up. </p><p>“While I forgave Shido for what he did and moved on from it, I don’t think I’ll forget the damage he caused… If it wasn’t for him, t-then m-m-maybe I c-could’ve-” A single tear rolled down his cheek. “H-Huh? O-Oh… s-sorry… I don’t know what happened…” </p><p>Sumire didn’t say anything. Rather, she placed Akira into a tighter hug, giving him the needed comfort from a loved one.</p><p>“But if it wasn’t for what happened,” he lifted her chin and gave her a kiss, “I would never have met the love of my life.”</p><p>As he predicted, she buried her face in his chest, able to catch bits of red in the moonlight that enveloped their bedroom. </p><p>“Y-You’re too cheesy, Senpai…”</p><p>“But you liked what you heard, right?”</p><p>She groaned into his chest before giving him a kiss.</p><p>“Hey, Akira?” She stared at her beloved’s face, waiting for him to meet her eyes. </p><p>“Sumire?” He looked down to be welcomed with a caring gaze.</p><p>“… He’s proud of you, Akira…” There was a tender hug and a kiss. “He was, and will always be proud of you.”</p><p>“I know, Sumire…” Another tender hug and kiss followed. “I know.” </p><p>The married couple remained in silence, relishing in each other’s warmth before they gave each other one final goodnight kiss for the evening. </p><p>“Sweet dreams, my love.”</p><p>“Sweet dreams, Senpai.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well well well, it appears that this one-shot has officially become a story haha. As much as I wanted to finish the last chapter of Phantom's Game, this chapter has been on my mind ever since I wrote the original one-shot. So I apologize for the delay on that story!</p><p>Anyways, this chapter ended up being A LOT more harder than I thought. Originally, it didn't seem that hard since it's the flashback of how Joker got his probation ("Damn brat, I'll sue!"). However, I started to realize that for the plans I have in store at later parts of the story to work well (in my eyes), I'm going to have to set the seeds down for them right now to give them enough time to grow. So yeah, that's why Joker somewhat has an extensive background in this chapter before the actual canon part took place, as I felt it was necessary to describe his life at home before he was on probation. And because of that, I ended up making 3 new original characters waaaay earlier than I intended while also finding myself looking at the year 2032 to get the dates right haha.</p><p>I'm hoping to at least finish the prologue of this story before my winter quarter starts, as my winter break is only two weeks long. Hopefully I'll be able to pull it off, or at least be close by the time I'm back in school lol. </p><p>Other than that, thank you for checking this story out! Stay tuned for the next chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Into the New Kingdom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A journey to the new Kingdom, a new life for the Prince.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Quick apologies for the word length! I kinda got into a rhythm when I was writing this chapter, and I also feel that I was a little bit ambitious haha...</p><p>There's a certain part in the chapter where I linked a music track to be played during a specific part to enhance the experience, so it's highly recommended, but not required! Since it's an extended version so you (the audience) won't have to replay it if you choose to listen to it, it should be quite obvious where the music should be stopped. If not, then it's when the year 2032 is shown again.</p><p>Other than that, enjoy!</p><p>Edit: So I’ve noticed whenever I click on the link, it doesn’t play from the start haha... so for those of you that decide to listen to the music, please start the song from the beginning! Sorry about that! If that isn’t a problem though, then carry on!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>4/18/2032 - Kurusu Residence</b>
</p><p>“I’m home! Sorry I’m… late?” </p><p>Upon entering the house, Sumire heard what sounded like samba music echoing from the kitchen. She immediately closed the front door and paid more attention to the music that was playing, eventually hearing the laughter of her kids as well as catching a whiff of what she assumed was dinner for tonight.</p><p>“No way!”</p><p>She threw her bag on one of the couches in the living room and ran into the kitchen, excited to see her family if they’re doing what she thinks they’re doing.</p><p>Alas, she frowned when she only saw Kazumi and Ren in front of the 65” TV, dancing sidy-by-side to their heart’s content to the catchy melody that belonged to the ending theme of the most recent Phoenix Ranger Neo Featherman R season. Knowing they were too busy to notice her, she silently snuck up behind them, all while resisting the urge to look at the food her husband prepared on the dinner table, maneuvered around the couch they were in front of, and wrapped an arm around each of their waists.</p><p>“Mama!”</p><p>“Mama’s home!”</p><p>The twins turned around to face their mom and returned her hug with hugs of their own, placing their heads on each of her shoulders.</p><p>“I’m home!” She kissed the top of their heads, receiving kisses on her cheeks in return. “So, what have you two been up to?”</p><p>“Dancing!”</p><p>“Yup! They showed a family at the end again! Look!”</p><p>Ren squirmed out of her mother’s arms and walked to the couch to grab the TV remote. She gave the disgruntled-faced Morgana a pet, something that made him sigh, and pressed the rewind button. Once she reached the beginning of the dance, she looked over her shoulder to make sure her mom was paying attention. Much to her surprise, she found her mother cradling her brother.</p><p>“M-Mama…”</p><p>“What’s wrong?” Sumire rocked Kazumi back and forth.</p><p>“Hehe, yeah!” Ren went on the tip of her toes to see the gentle blush on Kazumi’s face. “What’s wrong, Kazumi-niichan~?”</p><p>“W-Why me…”</p><p>“Because!” Sumire twirled in place and nuzzled her son’s face right as she sat on the couch, a simple act that left Ren in awe from how flawless she looked. “You’re my baby! And I missed my baby while at work!” </p><p>She continuously kissed his cheek to the point where he giggled when the kisses became ticklish.</p><p>“W-What about me, M-Mama…” Ren sat on the couch and leaned her head on her mom’s shoulder. “A-Am I your-”</p><p>“Of course you are!” Allowing Kazumi to roll out of her arms and onto the floor since he said it’d be more “fun” for him, Sumire grabbed Ren and rocked her back and forth. “You’re my baby too, remember? Do you know what that means?”</p><p>“T-That you missed me at work a-and-”</p><p>Interrupting her were the same number of kisses her brother got, also giggling from the ticklish affection.</p><p>“Silly Ren!” After nuzzling her daughter’s face, Sumire kissed Ren’s nose. “I always miss you at work! I miss you, Kazumi, and Papa ALL the time!”</p><p>“And Morgana?” Kazumi mimicked the cradle his sister was in on their cat, oblivious to his discomforted and borderline angry purrs, and brought him to his mom. </p><p>“And Morgana!” She made sure to give him a gentle pat on the head, calming his almost seething fury to a sigh prior to reminding her kids about the video they were going to show her.</p><p>Wearing joyous smiles, Ren rolled onto the empty seat next to her mom and snatched the remote laying there while Kazumi took the other empty seat. The twins counted to three, pressing the play button on the remote and snuggled next to their mom and cat. Morgana made sure to give Sumire a whimpering stare, something that made her confused when he jumped on her shoulder.</p><p>Shown on the TV was what appeared to be a small announcement, judging from how Feather Dooka and Feather Dove were in their civilian outfits.</p><p>“Reeeeen! You went too far back!”</p><p>“I-I’m sorry…” Ren paused the video and kept her head down, fiddling her thumbs. “I t-thought Mama wanted to see them t-together before they started dancing…”</p><p>“… It’s okaaaaay… Hey, Ren?”</p><p>She kept her eyes on her thumbs, already hoping for their mother to get him to stop.</p><p>“I love you.”</p><p>“Huh?” Confused at what she just heard, she turned her head to see Kazumi giggling to himself from the shocked look their mother gave him. “C-Can you-”</p><p>“I saaaid…'' He laid across his mother’s lap to get as close to his sister as possible, placing both of his hands around his mouth.  “I looooove you, you dummy!”</p><p>“Heeeeeey! I’m not a dummy! Hmph!” Ren closed her eyes and pouted at her brother, though she couldn’t help herself from smiling and falling on top of him. “And I loooove you too, Kazumi-niichan!”</p><p>“Awwww!” Sumire piled on top of the twins, embracing them along with Morgana. “You two are so adorable! Mama loves you both sooooo much! And Papa too!”</p><p>“Heh, don’t forget about me!” The black cat patted the kids’ backs. “I may be a cat, but I can still give out some of my love!”</p><p>“I love you, Morgana!”</p><p>“You’re my favorite kitty!”</p><p>“Huh?! They actually- Oh wait.” Morgana chuckled when he realized the kids were going to say that regardless.</p><p>“So!” Sumire let go of Kazumi and Ren, helping them up from her lap. “What were Feather-”</p><p>““Mama!””</p><p>“Huh?” She didn’t expect to be met with pouts from both of them. “D-Did I say something-”</p><p>“You’re not supposed to call them Feather Dooka and Feather Dove when they’re in their regular clothes!”</p><p>“I-I’m not?”</p><p>“Nope!” Ren poked her mother’s arm. “Because their identities are supposed to be a secret!”</p><p>“That’s right!” Kazumi poked his mother’s other arm. “You’re supposed to call them by their names when they’re not transformed!”</p><p>“Oh… okay! What’s their names?”</p><p>Kazumi and Ren looked at each other and giggled, turning their heads to show their mother their cheeky smiles.</p><p>““Aki and Sumi!””</p><p>“Aki and Sumi- H-H-HUH?!” Sumire’s face flared upon hearing the kids say her and Akira’s nicknames. “D-D-Did you say their n-n-names were-”</p><p>“Mhmm!” Kazumi pointed at the two people on screen.</p><p>“Aki and Sumi looooove each other a lot too!” Ren nodded at her mother. “They haven’t told each other yet, but they do!”</p><p>“W-WHA-”</p><p>“Whenever Sumi is in trouble, Aki ALWAYS arrives just in time to save her!”</p><p>“That’s right! Futaba-sama told us about the lost episode where Feather Dove distracted an enemy for everyone and almost got attacked, but Feather Dooka saved her! And since Feather Toucan told the rest of the Featherman Rangers to leave them alone, Feather Dooka and Feather Dove beat the monster on their own and-” </p><p>The sound of someone repeating the same syllable broke Ren’s focus, finding out the source was her mother. </p><p>“Umm, M-Mama?”</p><p>“M-Mama? Are you okay?”</p><p>Unknownst to them, Sumire didn’t hear them. In fact, she was too busy having a flashback of a certain memory from how specific they went… </p><p>
  <b>1/25/2017 - Maruki’s Palace</b>
</p><p>“Uh-oh, this next attack isn’t looking too good!”</p><p>The group didn’t need Futaba’s to tell them; they already watched the Burning Giant surround himself with a blueish beam of energy.</p><p>‘Dammit… and of course Noir’s on the other side…’</p><p>Joker looked at Skull, Crow, and Violet, who were all ready to take the attack head-on once Skull finished casting Elec Break on it.</p><p>“Everyone!” They all turned to face him, breaking formation. “It’s not weak enough yet! Use the pipes to get off the ground!”</p><p>“Got it!”</p><p>“Hmph, as you wish.”</p><p>“I’ll distract it!”</p><p>Joker and Skull both stared at Violet while Crow did what he was told, running to the closest chair that had a person sitting on it and climbing to the top of the pipe.</p><p>“Y-You sure about this?” Concerned for his girl, Joker held her arm. “We can help too-”</p><p>“I got this, Joker-senpai!” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Let me do this for you, okay?”</p><p>He smirked, pulling her in for a kiss before running off with Skull.</p><p>
  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp3Bvn8n62Q&amp;t=368s"> “Dude! Did you REALLY have to rub it in?” </a>
</p><p>“What? It’s for motivation!”</p><p>“Uh huh… for you or for Violet?”</p><p>“For V-Violet! Obviously!”</p><p>“Heh heh, suuuuure it was! Didn’t you see what you did to her face~?”</p><p>“S-Shut it, Oracle!”</p><p>As Skull and Oracle continued to poke fun at Joker, Violet readied herself after shaking her blush away.</p><p>“Ready, Vanadis?”</p><p>
  <b>“Let’s show them a performance they’ll remember, my Princess!”</b>
</p><p>Violet pulled out her Sahasrara EX rifle and aimed at the Burning Giant, watching its eyes follow Skull as he sloppily hopped from one pipe to the next. Just as its fiery blade was coated with a light blue energy targeted at the blonde individual, Violet shot five bullets at its face. While two of those bullets were engulfed by the Burning Giant’s sword, the other three made contact, stunning it when one of the bullets shot out its eye. As she expected, the Burning Giant cried out in pain, dropping its sword and covering its now non-existent eye.</p><p>“Nice shot!”</p><p>“I thought I was gonna die!”</p><p>“That was quite impressive.”</p><p>“That’s my girl!”</p><p>Smirking at the praise she received, Violet tore off her mask.</p><p>“Let’s dance, Vanadis! Brave Step!”</p><p>Surrounding her and her allies were golden pillars of flame, which was soon followed by a fiery pillar from Skull and William that further strengthened their attack.</p><p>“Alright Vanadis, dazzle us with Kougaon!”</p><p>With the black feathers on the bottom of her crimson dress glowing in a whitish-yellowish hue, Vanadis spun around, sending a wave of energy that coalesced underneath the angered Burning Giant. Still reacting to its lost eye, the Shadow suffered the full force of the magic spell, partially incinerating in a column of light where doves of energy flew around and dissipated.</p><p>The Burning Giant retaliated by slamming its fist into the ground, sending out an earthquake that shattered the floor in front of it and spat fire through the cracks. However, it proved useless against its graceful opponent, whose beloved showered her with red, blue, and green energy through Heat Riser, increasing her strength, defense, and agility even more.</p><p>Violet jumped from one piece of broken earth to another, letting Vanadis launch another Kougaon while thanking her Joker-senpai for the assist. Crow used this chance to summon Loki and use Debilitate on the Burning Giant, satisfied to watch it writhe as it was weakened in time to get hit by four more bullets from Violet’s rifle that were coated in light.</p><p>Continuing to jump around the floor, Violet aimed her final bullet at its other eye, wanting to completely blind it in hopes that the Shadow wouldn't find its weapon. Unfortunately for her, she was too busy finding an opening to pay attention to her footwork, tripping on a raised piece of earth and tumbling through a wall of fire.</p><p>““Violet!””</p><p>“That’s what you get for trying to show off.”</p><p>“Violet, are you there? Violet? Violet!”</p><p>“I-I’m fine! Just took a hard fall, that’s all…” </p><p>She ignored Crow’s critique and used the back end of her rifle to help her stand, not caring how her black ribbon became untied and allowed her hair to fall. Aiming at the flailing Burning Giant again as the ground finally returned to normal, she shot her Kougaon-infused bullet at its other eye, only to find it getting deflected back at her when the Shadow found its sword.</p><p>“Vanadis!”</p><p>The woman in red appeared once more and performed a reverse roundhouse kick, bouncing the bullet back to its intended target and piercing its remaining eye.</p><p>Though she wore a smirk that rivaled her Joker-senpai’s, it disappeared when the Burning Giant held its sword in a reverse grip and raised it above its head. Knowing what was soon to follow, Violet made a dash to the nearest pipe but fell down again. Frightened, she looked over her shoulder, finding one of her coattails caught in the ground back when it didn’t form completely.</p><p>“Bad news! Violet’s-“</p><p>“Already on it! Arsène! Eigaon!”</p><p>“Hit it with a Ziodyne, William!”</p><p>“LOOOOKI! MEGIDOLAON!”</p><p>Despite the Shadow being shocked with various bolts of electricity and swallowed in a growing orb of almighty energy mixed with darkness, it persisted through sheer rage and the resolve to exterminate the girl that became the bane of its existence. </p><p>Watching the Burning Giant take one last breath of air and aware she didn’t have enough time to free herself, Violet closed her eyes and shielded herself from the flames. The entire floor underneath her glowed into a pulsating red, orange, and yellow, bubbles of intense volcanic heat forming and popping as the fire grew larger and larger until the entire floor was engulfed in hellfire.</p><p>Much to Violet’s surprise, she didn’t feel herself burning from the devastating attack. Matter of fact, she instead felt the cold wind brushing against her hair as it flew wildly. Not sure what happened to her, she finally opened her eyes to be welcomed with a warm smile belonging to her Joker-senpai.</p><p>“W-Wha-”</p><p>“You did great out there.” She received a kiss on her head. “10/10 performance!”</p><p>“Yeah, Violet!” The voice of Oracle called out to her, causing her to look up and find Al Azif above her and Joker. “To be fair, that Shadow sabotaged your routine at the end, so we ignored the fall when calculating your score!”</p><p>“W-Wait… huh?” </p><p>Violet peeked around to see exactly where she was, blushing when she realized her Joker-senpai had her in a bridal carry with his grappling hook attached to Al Azif, suspending them in the air. Without a moment to lose, she covered her face and whined.</p><p>“H-How…”</p><hr/><p>Seven seconds earlier… </p><p>“Oracle!”</p><p>“Operation: Aki-Sumi Super Save?”</p><p>“On my mark!”</p><p>“But I could use my-”</p><p>“ON MY MARK!”</p><p>“Heh, showoff!”</p><hr/><p>“And that’s what happened! You gotta tell your boyfriend to stop being a showoff!”</p><p>“But she liked it! Isn’t that right, Violet-”</p><p>Joker didn’t expect her to lift up their masks and hold onto the front of his coat, pulling him in for a kiss and not letting go until Oracle told them to get a room.</p><p>“U-U-Umm-”</p><p>“T-Thank you for s-saving me, J-Joker-senpai…”</p><p>He stared at her increasingly reddening face as his own face started to turn red. </p><p>“M-Maybe I should save you more if that’s my reward…”</p><p>“H-Hey! I was-”</p><p>She didn’t expect him to kiss her back so suddenly.</p><p>“You’re welcome, Sumire. I’m always going to be there to save you.”</p><p>“A-Akira-senpai…”</p><p>The two lovers smiled at each other, staring into each other’s eyes as Al Azif flew them around in the room.</p><p>“ARE YOU DONE YET?!”</p><p>They aimed their heads at the ground to witness Crow barking at them, assisting Skull in shooting the now-limping Burning Giant.</p><p>“I don’t wanna agree with him, but- Shit!” Skull ducked his head in time when the Burning Giant swung its sword. “IT’S NOW OR NEVER!”</p><p>“They’re right, you know! The kissing can wait till AFTER the battle!”</p><p>“K-K-Kissing?!”</p><p>‘Oh dear…’</p><p>Asking Violet twice to lower their masks since she didn’t hear him the first time, they nodded to each other and told Oracle they’re ready. As Oracle increased the speed of Al Azif and circled around the Burning Giant, Violet shifted her positioning to be on her boyfriend’s back. The scenery changed to that of a chapel, where Joker pulled out his Tyrant Pistol EX and rained bullets into the back of the Shadow with his signature smirk, hammering on the trigger until he heard a click.</p><p>“Ready?”</p><p>“Ready!”</p><p>Joker reached out behind him for one of Violet’s delicate hands, making sure to give her a supportive squeeze as they waited for Oracle to complete her path. Now in front of the Burning Giant again, Violet let go of Joker and allowed him to throw her high into the air in an arc.</p><p>“All yours!”</p><p>Making sure to hit an elegant pose at the apex of his throw, Violet dived onto the enemy while having a vision of her deceased sister. </p><p>“We’re on!”</p><p>The two performed a combined routine, slashing into the Burning Giant multiple times with both boldness and grace, the final hit coming from Violet after she and her sister raised their respective swords into the air. With the vision now over and her sister disappearing, the Burning Giant vanished into black liquid, followed by Joker landing behind Violet in a dramatic pose. Catching eye of this, Violet grabbed his hand and raised it above her, pulling him in as she spun around and fell backwards, closing her eyes and stretching her arms out above her just as Joker caught her wearing a grin.</p><p>“Don’t forget the pose!”</p><p>While Joker <em>didn't</em> forget the pose, he <em>did</em> forget about one thing. Right as Violet was raising herself up, Joker leaned forward and gave her a kindhearted kiss. She yelped when their lips touched, knowing for sure her face flared up due to the way she was being held. Nevertheless, she dropped her sword and wrapped her arms around his neck to return his feelings of love. </p><p>The couple were too caught up in their tender moment to notice the rest of the team running into the room, all but one person smiling at how happy and precious they were.</p><p>
  <b>4/18/2032 - Kurusu Residence</b>
</p><p>“Kaaaaaz! You broke Mama!”</p><p>“No I didn’t! Only Papa does that!”</p><p>“You still broke her!”</p><p>“Noooo!”</p><p>“Yessss!”</p><p>“Noooo!”</p><p>“Yessss!”</p><p>“Nooooo-”</p><p>“U-Umm, K-Kazumi? R-Ren?’</p><p>The twins stopped their mini argument when their mother started talking again, hugging each of her arms and apologizing profusely for breaking her.</p><p>“Oh, come on! I wasn’t broken! R-Right?”</p><p>Nothing came out of them except a forgiving giggle.</p><p>“A-Anyways!” She cupped both of their faces and gave them a squish so all three of them could have a pinkish hue on their cheeks. “You both said Futaba told you about that lost episode?”</p><p>““Yup!””</p><p>“C-Can you tell me when she told you?”</p><p>““Right when she got here!””</p><p>“F-Futaba’s here-”</p><p>“SUMIRE!”</p><p>“KYAAAH!”</p><p>Sumire jumped off the couch when she felt her shoulders get grabbed, luckily not bringing Kazumi and Ren with her since they let go right as Futaba scared her. Turning around to witness the orange-haired gremlin laughing at her, she leaned over the couch and gave her a VERY secure hug.</p><p>“H-H-Hey! Sumire! C-Can’t! B-Breathe!”</p><p>“It’s what you get for scaring me!” Sumire hugged her tighter, subsequently making Futaba ache in more pain when she was lifted up and over the couch. “And you didn’t say hi when I walked in!”</p><p>“P-Phone! A-A-Ayaka! *gasp* N-Need! *gasp* O-O-Oxygen! *gasp* AHHHH!”</p><p>Sumire freed Futaba, giggling with the kids and Morgana as they watched the gremlin collapse on the seat behind her and take in all of the air she could get. Ren went to the kitchen to fetch her aunt a glass of water while Kazumi patted her back.</p><p>“Gee, Sumire! You tryna kill me or something!”</p><p>“Me?” She placed a hand on her own chest and smiled at her friend. “Nooooo! I would never!”</p><p>Futaba gave a questioning look to Kazumi, who shrugged as Ren handed her a drink.</p><p>“As I was saying, I-” The gremlin peeked at the TV for a split second and squealed when she saw Feather Dooka and Feather Dove in their civilian outfits. “ARE THEY GONNA DO THE DANCE AGAIN?!”</p><p>Morgana groaned and covered his ears.</p><p>“Mhm! We were about to show Mama the new family that got to do it when we did what you told us to tell her-”</p><p>“W-WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!” Futaba covered Ren’s mouth and let out a nervous laugh, getting a suspicious look from Sumire. “L-LET’S WATCH IT!”</p><p>The group of four (five including the self-secluded Morgana) watched the TV after Ren hit play, where Sumire learned the real names of Feather Dooka and Feather Dove.</p><p>“So, Takumi is Feather Dooka and Miku is Feather Dove huh… Sounds TOTALLY different than Aki and Sumi…” </p><p>“F-F-Futaba-same told us to s-say those names! R-R-Right, Kaz?”</p><p>“R-Right! F-F-Futaba-sama told us to say their names were A-Aki and Sumi because she k-knew you’d like those names more than Takumi and M-Miku when we were telling you the lost episode!”</p><p>“Traitors!” The family moved their eyes at the only person that could say such a thing. “Uhh, b-but it was funny! R-Right?”</p><p>Sumire smiled at Futaba, a smile that begged her to try something like that again. On the other hand, Kazumi and Ren nodded, admitting they enjoyed seeing their mom blush. Because of that, they each received a poke to their foreheads.</p><p>“Let’s see who’ll be joining us today!”</p><p>Everyone turned to look at the TV upon hearing Takumi, curious as to which family would be chosen as he and Miku gazed at the black square with a question mark above them. The question marked blinked three times, eventually turning white and revealing a photo of the chosen family in what appeared to be some sort of studio space.</p><p>“NO WAY!” Everyone watched Futaba jump out of her seat, using one of her hands to cover her mouth while the other one was pointing at the TV, specifically at the woman who was winking at the camera and blowing a kiss. “I-I-IT’S RISETTE!”</p><p>Sure enough, there was the retired idol known as Risette, wearing a white dress shirt with a black tie underneath a pink button-up jacket with black stripes that stopped at her forearms. Along the right side of the jacket’s black collar were a series of white hearts and stars that matched her black knee-high socks that were cuffed at the knee, showing two white stripes. She wore a pair of white fingerless gloves on each of her hands that had a heart design cutout and white shoes that were black on the bottom. Finishing the outfit, besides the colorful wrist strap on her left wrist, was a small black hat bearing a pink flower and two white feathers clipped to the left of her twin pigtails.</p><p>Next to Risette was a man whose silver hair was styled to that of a bowl cut, pointing a finger directly above him. He was wearing a white button-up jacket that also went up to his forearms and had a plaid design on the collar with a red flower on its left side on top of a grey dress shirt bearing white stripes that wasn’t tucked and a pink tie. A pair of black slacks and white shoes that were black on the bottom with the same color wrist strap on his left arm completed the outfit.</p><p>“OH MY GOSH IT IS!” Sumire let out a squeal that scared the twins when she realized what Futaba said was true. </p><p>“Congratulations!” Miku cheered on the family as Takumi clapped next to her. “Thank you for participating!”</p><p>“Now, let’s get up off our seats and get ready! In 3!”</p><p>“2!”</p><p>““1!””</p><p>Sumire watched in awe at Futaba, Kazumi, and Ren listening to Takumi and Ren with nothing but joy and excitement, joining them and advising them to make room for each other.</p><p>““Que Boom!””</p><p>The scenery on the TV changed after the logo of Phoenix Ranger Neo Featherman R flashed on the screen, which was soon followed by the screech of an eagle. In the middle of the screen was Risette and her husband in the same studio space where their photo was taken, having their hands held up next to their faces with their bodies facing the right and their heads looking at the camera wearing gentle smiles. Circling around them in a border were twenty squares: the right had the ten Featherman rangers in their civilian outfits while the left had them in their transformed suits. They all had the same pose Risette and her husband did: holding their hands near their faces with their bodies facing the right and their heads looking at the camera.</p><p>Sumire, Futaba, and the twins mimicked what they saw, waiting patiently for the music to hit. Morgana groaned again, pressing his paws onto his ears with more pressure once he heard the beginning jingle. </p><p>2 minutes later… </p><p>“WOOOOO! THAT WAS AWESOME!”</p><p>“You danced crazy again, Futaba-sama!”</p><p>“Yeah! You even picked up Morgana!”</p><p>“Heh heh! Morgana LOVES this dance!” Huddling the cat with her other arm, Futaba pinched his face. </p><p>“Oww! Knock it off!”</p><p>“Whoa! Kitty looks angry!”</p><p>“Should we dance again to make him happy?”</p><p>“It’s Morgana we’re talking about! He can ONLY be happy again if we dance!” The gremlin grinned at the annoyed cat. “I require a rewind!”</p><p>“Aye aye, Futaba-sama!” Kazumi yanked the remote out of Ren’s hands when she picked it up. </p><p>“Kaaaaz! Let me do the rewind!”</p><p>“But you did it last time!”</p><p>“But I wanna do it!” Ren grabbed the remote and pulled it towards her. “I know where to-”</p><p>“Noooo!” Kazumi pulled the remote to himself. “I want to!”</p><p>“Kaaaaaaaz!”</p><p>“Let ME do it!”</p><p>“Noooo, I WANT to!”</p><p>“Noooo, ME!”</p><p>“You’re being a meanie!”</p><p>“You were a meanie first!”</p><p>“Meanie!”</p><p>“MEANIE!”</p><p>Sumire shook her head and sighed, listening to Futaba let out a guilt-driven meek laugh at the tug-of-war she caused. The mother let the fight continue for a few more seconds to see if they would stop on their own accord. Sadly, the twins shouted even louder the more they called each other meanie. </p><p>“Alright, alright! That’s ENOUGH!” Sumire plucked the remote out of the twin’s grasp, both now having fear in their eyes upon seeing the stern look from their mother. “If you keep fighting, then NO story time until Mama and Papa THINK you’re ready for one!” </p><p>“Story time? What story-” A single point from Sumire was all it took to silence Futaba. </p><p>Kazumi and Ren frowned at each other, glancing at their mother prior to lowering their heads. </p><p>“We’re s-s-sorry, M-Mama…”</p><p>“W-W-We d-didn’t mean to f-f-fight, M-Mama…”</p><p>““W-We just w-w-wanted to m-make F-F-Futaba-sama h-happy…””</p><p>Immediately, Kazumi and Ren ran to their mother, hugging her legs and crying on her black workout pants. </p><p>“Kazumi? Ren?”</p><p>They responded with sniffles.</p><p>The next thing Sumire did left Futaba speechless: she crouched down to their height and ran her hands through their hair, letting them cry on her shoulders as they were embraced with the love of their mother. </p><p>“Shh, shhhh. It’s okay, you don’t have to cry anymore.”</p><p>“I’m s-s-sorry, Mama…”</p><p>“I-I-I’m s-sorry too, M-Mama… ” </p><p>“I *sniff* l-love you, Ren…”</p><p>“I l-l-love *sniff* you t-too, K-Kazumi…” </p><p>“There, there.” Sumire hugged them tighter. “I love you both so much.”</p><p>““I l-l-love you too, M-M-Mama…”” </p><p>The three of them remained that way for a while, leaving an awkward Futaba alone with Morgana. </p><p>“H-Hey, Mona?”</p><p>“Hmm?”</p><p>“H-How often does t-this happen?” </p><p>“Every now and then!”</p><p>“O-Oh… i-it’s just, this is the first time I’ve seen them fight like that… and the last time I saw Sumire THAT mad was back when Akira-”</p><p>“Sumire isn’t mad.”</p><p>“H-Huh?! She’s not?!”</p><p>“Nope! Morgana gave her a reassuring nod. “She’s being a good mother! The same applies to Akira too whenever their fights get that heated. At first, I thought they were mad. But after seeing what they do, you learn the difference between mad and good parenting.”</p><p>“Huh… so that’s what I have to look forward to when my thesis reaches its final form… seems, umm, like I’m playing on Critical Mode even though I’m on Proud…”</p><p>“That doesn’t even begin to describe it… though, I wonder how Shinji and Alice are like with Ryuji and-”</p><p>The creak of the backyard door opening caught everyone’s attention, awaiting the entrance of the black haired man that walked in. </p><p>“Sorry about that… one of my patients wanted to schedule an-” Akira stopped talking when he realized who was home after closing the door and putting his phone in his pocket. “Sumi-boo!”</p><p>“Aki-boo!” Securing the grip she had on the twins, Sumire stood up, lifting the somewhat sobbing duo into the air by their waists, and ran to Akira, giving him a kiss. “I’m home!”</p><p>“Welcome back!” Following another kiss to his wife, Akira hooked an arm around Ren’s waist and carried her, allowing Sumire to carry Kazumi. “So, how was work? And I, umm, heard shouting?”</p><p>The twins pressed their faces on their parents’ shoulders, concerning their dad when he felt his daughter’s tears. </p><p>“Well, I ended up staying later than usual because two of my trainees, Misaki-chan and Yoko-chan, wanted a little help in their routine. I gave them some extra pointers and advice, and they felt more confident!” Sumire tickled Kazumi’s waist to get him to laugh. “How about you? You were on the phone?” </p><p>“Yup! I was replying to one of my patient’s emails and-”</p><p>“I thought you said you were on the phone?”</p><p>“I, umm, w-was replying to an email on my phone-”</p><p>“And you didn’t want to reply to it inside?”</p><p>“… I didn’t want to stop the kid’s-”</p><p>“Papa’s a meanie…” </p><p>Akira and Sumire looked at Ren, noticing she and her brother stopped crying but kept their heads on their parent’s shoulders. </p><p>“He didn’t wanna dance with us…“</p><p>“That’s why he went outside… so we wouldn’t force him…”</p><p>“Is that so?” Sumire learned really close to her husband and pouted. “Then I guess Papa’s an ULTRA meanie then! Hmph!”</p><p>Akira hung his head low, letting the somber voices of Kazumi and Ren sing about the ultra meanie for not wanting to dance with them. The twins kept the song going while Sumire walked around him, the happiness in their voices rising to the point where it was impossible to tell they were crying earlier. Just as he was about to set Ren down in her chair so they could eat their dinner, he felt Sumire’s lips on his cheek.</p><p>“Too bad I’m in love with him~.”</p><p>The soft whisper broke his mind momentarily, catching his wife running into the living room as the twins poked fun at the blush on his face and asked Futaba and Morgana to sit with them. Without missing a beat, Akira chased after Sumire. The two of them ran around the living room, jumping around the couches and the formal dining table with blotches of pink and red on their cheeks. By the time Akira caught her, taking his time to tickle her for what she said, everyone else at the dinner table got impatient and were already eating the shrimp tempura meal he prepared for the night.</p><p>“Don’t give us that look! You could flirt AFTER you eat!”</p><p>“Futaba-sama’s right! You both took FOREVER to finish your game of tag!”</p><p>“We got hungry… tooooo hungry to wait anymore…”</p><p>“Well, they’re not wrong…” Morgana continued to chew down on the fatty tuna that was specifically prepared for him. “You guys gonna eat or what?”</p><p>Akira and Sumire looked at each other, shrugged, and shared a small kiss before going to their respective seats. Futaba gagged at the affection while Ren took this chance to hand the TV remote to Kazumi after giggling at their parents’ moment, who instead placed the remote between themselves.</p><p>“On 3!”</p><p>“1!”</p><p>“2!”</p><p>““3!””</p><p>The kids pressed play at the same time, bobbing side to side when they heard the ending theme of Neo Featherman R. Futaba screamed again when Risette appeared as did Sumire, who was already working on her second plate of food. Akira and Morgana, on the other hand, ate their dinner in silence and pain, hiding their annoyance at the song for listening to it for the past hour. </p><p>After the song ended, Kazumi and Ren told their dad about their fight after Futaba finished talking about her phone call with Ayaka, telling everyone there’s a research training camp they’d be attending as fellow researchers during Golden Week. Though he could tell they were nervous, he applauded them for the amount of courage they had to share that information. He then poked fun at his wife for being the best mom in the world, causing her to cough and blush while eating her third plate of shrimp tempura. It didn’t help that Kazumi and Ren called her the Ultra Mama for stopping their fight and letting them cry on her shoulder, deepening her blush. Akira asked if he'd be the Ultra Papa since he’s married to the Ultra Mama, to which the kids answered with enthusiastic nods. </p><p>Already aware of where this conversation was going, Sumire finished her fourth plate, drank a large cup of water, washed her plate, cup, and utensils as quickly as possible at the kitchen sink, and rushed to the stairs with her belongings in hand. </p><p>‘Wow… she’s gotten better…’</p><p>“Papaaaa!” Ren pulled at her dad’s shirt. “You made Mama run away…” </p><p>“Oh, she didn’t run! She’s just going to take a shower in time for tonight’s story! That’s all!”</p><p>“… Okay…”</p><p>“Pssst! Kaz!”</p><p>The young boy leaned in his aunt’s direction.</p><p>“It’s been a while since I’ve been here, but are your dinners always like this?”</p><p>“Nope! But when they are, Mama is always happy! She just doesn’t like Papa knowing sometimes, like right now!”</p><p>“Uh huh…”</p><p>Once dinner was over, the twins prevented Futaba from going home, asking their dad if she could listen to tonight’s story. He told them she couldn’t, receiving multiple whines as a result. By the time they realized he was joking, he poked their foreheads (minus Futaba’s), asking the gremlin to help bring Ren upstairs as he hoisted Kazumi over his shoulder. Now holding Ren by giving her a back-hug and lifting her in the air, the two adults and cat climbed the stairs and entered their room. Sitting on Ren’s bed was Sumire, who was combing her hair. </p><p>With the kids tucked in their beds, they told the grown-ups how they should be seated. Agreeing to their seating arrangements, Futaba sat on Ren’s bed with Morgana on her lap while Akira and Sumire sat next on Kazumi’s.</p><p>“Someone smells good~.”</p><p>“T-Thank you, A-A-Aki-Eep!”</p><p>“I’m only putting my hand on your waist-”</p><p>“But you poked me! Ughhh you’re REALLY an ultra meanie!” Sumire placed her head on her husband’s shoulder with a pout and closed her eyes, grabbing his hand so it would wrap around her waist rather than rest on it. “I DARE you to see what happens if you TRY to move your hand back! Hmph!”</p><p>“Wow! Sumire’s feisty after a shower!”</p><p>Akira checked his wife to see if she reacted the way he thought she would. And he was absolutely right, chuckling at her instant redness and her eyes widening. Before she was able to say anything, she felt a kiss on the top of her head.</p><p>“H-Heeey-” </p><p>She wasn’t expecting a peck when she raised her head to meet her husband’s eyes.</p><p>“Better?”</p><p>“… No…” Still pouting at Futaba’s perverse comment and the two kisses she received, she rested her head on her husband’s shoulder again and hugged his waist. “… Better…”</p><p>Patting his wife’s head, who used her hair to cover her burning face, Akira asked if everyone was ready. It was no surprise to everyone that Futaba asked what kind of story was being told. Kazumi and Ren told her it’s about a Prince turned Thief and a Princess and how last week, the Prince was forced to move away from the old Kingdom because of his encounter with the dizzy man, thus ending up in the new Kingdom where the Princess is from for today’s story. Suspicious of the context of the story, Futaba asked Morgana if this story is what she thinks it is. He told her to wait and see with a laugh, finding his face getting pinched. With Futaba now caught up, Akira started story time.</p><p>
  <em> The journey to the new Kingdom felt long and tiresome for the Prince, even though it was a three hour trip that required four transfers onto different pegasi- </em>
</p><p>“I don’t think you understand the meaning of ‘three-hour trip’ and having to transfer over to four different lines… More importantly what’s up with the pegasi-”</p><p>“Futaba-sama!”</p><p>“W-What’s wrong-”</p><p>“You can’t interrupt the story when it just started…”</p><p>“OH! Hehe… sorry! Resume!”</p><p>
  <em> There really wasn’t much the Prince could do on the trip besides choosing to wear the glasses the King gifted him and remembering the events that led him to his departure, constantly thinking about what the dizzy man did and how powerless his family felt during the trial. After all, it was because of the dizzy man that the townsfolk of the old Kingdom viewed the Prince as some kind of evil entity despite the King’s claims whenever someone tried to attack the Prince, either physically or verbally. </em>
</p><p>Akira felt Sumire squeeze his waist, patting her head as gratitude.</p><p>“I almost forgot! Remember how the King gave the Prince a pair of glasses as a farewell gift?”</p><p>“Mhm!”</p><p>“I remember!”</p><p>“His sister and the Queen also gave him presents!”</p><p>“Yay!”</p><p>“What were they, Papa?”</p><p>“The Prince’s sister gave him a case for his new pair of glasses that, in her words, was more fancier than the case the King planned on giving. The Queen, umm, g-gave the Prince a k-knife…”</p><p>““HUH?!””</p><p>“That’s dangerous!”</p><p>“The Queen doesn’t sound like a good mom…” </p><p>“Akira! What the heck! You never told us your mo-OW!”</p><p>Futaba screamed in pain when Morgana bit her hand.</p><p>“Kitty! What’s the matter with-”</p><p>That’s when she found the eyes of Morgana, Akira, and Sumire drilling into the depths of her soul.</p><p>“U-Umm, I d-didn’t know the Queen gave the P-Prince a knife…”</p><p>“Hmm? Did Futaba-sama say something wrong?”</p><p>“You, Mama, and Morgana were acting scary…”</p><p>“E-Everything’s fine! W-We’re just making sure Futaba doesn’t interrupt the story too much! T-That's all!” Sumire smiled at Kazumi and Ren, happy to see them relax into their beds, though they did stare at their aunt to figure out what she said… </p><p>
  <em> Nearing his stop, the Prince overheard two girls gossiping about some weird rumor that’s been going on in the new Kingdom, something about “mental shutdowns”. Since he was new, he didn’t bother listening to them go on and on about a baseless rumor, deciding it was more wise to look at his phone even though he knew his family wouldn’t be able to message him. </em>
</p><p>“Papa, I have a question-”</p><p>“I have an answer.”</p><p>“You’re silly, Papa!” Kazumi nudged his father’s arm. “You know how the story takes place in a Kingdom?”</p><p>“Y-Yeah?”</p><p>“Did the Kingdom have phones? You said the Prince looked at his phone-”</p><p>“Kaz has a point… Are there supposed to be phones in the Kingdom?”</p><p>“I, erm… well…”</p><p>Akira could already feel sweat forming on his forehead, not expecting the kids to be that cognizant of the story. He shifted his eyes from Kazumi to Sumire, who immediately looked away and aimed her head down. Morgana was also a lost cause, trying his hardest to whistle since he didn’t know what to say either. And Futaba? She just laughed at the predicament he was in.</p><p>“T-There are!” He watched as Kazumi and Ren tilted their heads from his answer. “T-The story takes place in a Kingdom f-filled with magic!”</p><p>““Oooooooh!””</p><p>“Y-Yeah! S-S-So like, phones and other things like TV’s and cameras exist! T-They’re just p-powered by magic!” The smiles on the twin’s faces were so pure. “O-Obviously there’s still the small and big carriages people use, a-as well as the pegasus rides f-for long distance travel, but the world is big! A-And in order for p-people to know what’s going on, d-devices were made t-that worked like what we have here! Except t-they’re all powered by magic instead of electricity!”</p><p>“Whoa! That. Sounds. AWESOME!”</p><p>“I wish our stuff was powered by magic…”</p><p>“Oh yeah… I do too now…”  </p><p>‘I can’t believe it… it actually worked!’ </p><p>Akira felt his wife press her lips onto his cheek accompanied with a squeeze around his waist, knowing she appreciated the way he fixed a loophole in their story. Morgana and Futaba gave him a silent round of applause, surprised he was able to come up with something on the spot that appealed to the setting he and Sumire went with.</p><p>“What next, Papa!”</p><p>“Yeah! Tell us more!”</p><p>
  <em> Compared to the old Kingdom, the new Kingdom was MASSIVE! The Prince walked out of the pegasus station to make one more transfer for his Divine Retribution and was shocked to find the amount of people in the middle of the crosswalk. There were so many, he couldn’t even see the markings on the street! He felt overwhelmed due to never seeing this many people in one spot, until he heard his phone beep. Wondering if his family was able to send a message in some sort of form, he looked at his phone and was immediately confused at what he saw. </em>
</p><p>“What did he see?”</p><p>“Was it bad…”</p><p>
  <em> On the middle of the map shown on his phone, the Prince found a black and red eye in a box that appeared to be some sort of app. He stared at the app for a few seconds, stunned to see it expand and cover the middle of his screen. Unsure what was going on, and thinking this was one of those weird images his sister sent him in the past, he pressed it once, then twice, then three times. Losing patience and blaming his sister for sending a prank message, the Prince gave his phone a disgruntled look. That’s when something weird happened… </em>
</p><p>Everyone leaned towards Akira, anxious to hear his next set of words.</p><p>
  <em> While staring at his phone, the Prince heard a man behind him talk in slow motion. Wondering if he heard him correctly, the Prince turned his head to make sure the man was feeling alright, only to find him standing completely still along with others next to him. He looked in front of him to see if others saw what was going on, getting even more confused when they also stopped walking and froze in place. Starting to feel frightened at what he was witnessing, he looked around in all directions to find at least one person that saw what he was seeing, the fear building up inside upon seeing more people freeze in place.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Before attempting to call for help in this ominous- </em>
</p><p>“What does that mean?”</p><p>“Kaaaaz! Stooooop!”</p><p>“But I wanted to know what the word Papa just said means…” </p><p>“Oh… sorry… what does it mean, Papa?”</p><p>“Ominous? Umm, it’s another word for threatening, l-like how Mama threatened to take away story time if you two kept fighting…”</p><p>““Ohhhh…””</p><p>“W-What about when M-Mama threatened me to tell her w-why I responded to my patient outside?”</p><p>“A-A-Akira!”</p><p>“Would that mean Mama was being ominous?”</p><p>“Y-Yeah! That’s correct!”</p><p>“AKIRA!”</p><p>“Hehe, Mama was being ominous around Papa!”</p><p>“Yeah! Papa got scared because Mama was being ominous!”</p><p>Akira felt Sumire exhale deeply into the crook of his neck. </p><p>“Y-You’re a d-d-dummy for using m-me as an example…”</p><p>“But they learned a new word, right? E-Even though they might have not used it correctly…”</p><p>She groaned and hugged him tighter.</p><p>“Why…” Morgana looked over his shoulder to see Futaba clutching her chest. “Why are they SO cute…”</p><p>
  <em> Before attempting to call for help in this ominous situation, the Prince saw what looked like a HUGE blue fire burning in front of a building. Curious, the Prince continued to observe the blue fire, realizing it took the shape of a vague figure the more he focused on it. The figure eventually solidified, its appearance becoming more clear when what looked like a pair of wings emerged from its back. The Prince studied the now solid figure, watching three slits of orange flames, two for its eyes and one for its wide smile, take shape, which was soon followed by an image of himself staring back at him with yellow eyes. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Astounded at what he saw, the Prince blinked. Within that instant, everyone around him started walking again, leaving him at a loss of words when the blue fire was nowhere to be seen. The Prince used this moment to delete the weird black and red app on his phone, not able to collect his thoughts at what just happened as he went on his way to meet his caretaker. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> No longer in the crowded town and in what he could describe as a village, the Prince asked for directions from the fellow village people. The way how they greeted him with kindness felt so odd to him, having gotten used to the way those at the old Kingdom treated him. He kept asking around, leaving a Knights Order officer as his final option- </em>
</p><p>“Was it because he was scared of them?”</p><p>“S-Something like that…”</p><p>
  <em> The officer led him to an alley where at the end was a house with a package being delivered. After ringing the doorbell twice and not receiving a response, the delivery man informed the Prince the Sage that lives here was most likely working at his tavern considering it was still afternoon. The Prince rushed his way to the tavern the delivery man directed him to, wanting to make sure he made a good first impression on the Sage. Unfortunately for him, the Sage wasn’t too fond of him, calling the Prince unruly. And just like that, the Sage threw the Prince into the attic of his tavern, letting him know this will be his room for the rest of his Divine Retribution and that his belongings were waiting for him inside a box. </em>
</p><p>“HAH! I forgot how mean he was when you first met!”</p><p>“FUTABA!”</p><p>“O-Oh! Right! Sorry about that!”</p><p>“What’s Futaba-sama talking about-”</p><p>“N-Nothing, Ren! She’s talking crazy, like always-”</p><p>“Heeeeeey! How DARE you say that about your sister!”</p><p>“… I’m telling Ayaka-”</p><p>“NO, PLEASE! ANYTHING BUT THAT!” Futaba fell on the ground and went on her knees. “IT WAS A JOKE! PLEAAAASE DON’T TELL HER I SAID THAT!”</p><p>“Mama?”</p><p>Sumire moved her head away from Akira’s shoulder to let Kazumi know she could hear him.</p><p>“What’s Papa and Futaba-sama doing?”</p><p>“They’re just being silly! Papa knows Ayaka-san likes it whenever Futaba says she’s Papa’s sister!”</p><p>“How come?”</p><p>Sumire laid her head across Akira’s lap to reach Kazumi, effectively pausing the conversation he was having with Futaba by making him blush.</p><p>“Because Ayaka-san-”</p><p>A poke to her stomach caused her to jump, hooking her arms around her husband’s neck so she could have an easier time concealing her own blush and laughter.</p><p>“T-That’s what you get for d-doing that!”</p><p>“I was ooooonly talking to Kazumi, Aki-dear~.” She kissed his cheek and went back to her original position, resting her head on his shoulder and her arms around his waist. </p><p>“Y-You-”</p><p>“Papaaaaa!” Ren waited for Futaba to sit back down on her bed. “Can I ask something?”</p><p>“Y-Yes, Ren?”</p><p>“… Was the Sage a meanie…”</p><p>Futaba answered that question for Akira, going as far as calling the Sage an ultra meanie due to the twin’s demand and roaring in laughter when they started to sing about it.</p><p>
  <em> It was when the Sage showed the Prince his room, which was very cluttered and dusty, where they talked about his situation. As much as the Sage wanted to believe the Prince’s words and his truth, it was reasonable for him to have his doubts, judging from how he only heard one side of the story. Adding insult to injury, the Sage told the Prince that if he had just minded his own business, none of this would’ve happened. With a final warning to behave himself for an entire year and letting him know they’ll be going to his new school tomorrow for some paperwork, the Sage went back to his tavern to leave the Prince alone in his new “room”.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Left with nothing else to do, the Prince changed out of his school uniform, having been told by the Queen it would help make a good first impression (it didn’t), to wear more casual clothes and went to work on the attic. After many hours of cleaning, such as dusting the windows, mopping the floor, and smoothening out his bed, the Prince was finally done. Once again, the Prince opened the box that had his clothes and got ready to change when he found a letter buried inside. How he didn’t see it the first time, he wasn’t too sure, but he wasn’t in the mood to read it after the amount of cleaning he did. Stuffing the box inside a shelf that was there, the Sage walked into the attic and was surprised to see how clean it looked. Impressed, the Sage told the Prince he should sleep for their trip tomorrow, letting him know he won’t be held responsible if he ever got sick. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Deciding it was better to listen to the Sage’s words, the Prince changed into his pajamas and laid on his bed. He tried to go to sleep, but found himself staying awake the more he thought about his reason for being in the new Kingdom, now feeling conflicted if what he did really was the best choice. It was then that his phone rang, hoping again it was a message from his family. Another frown formed when he found out it was because of that same black and red app from earlier. Not sure why it was still there when he deleted it, the Prince deleted it again, hoping it would be gone for good. Now feeling drowsy, the Prince closed his eyes and went to sleep… or that’s what he hoped for…  </em>
</p><p>“P-Papa…” Ren hid herself up to her eyes underneath her blanket. “Y-You said this w-wasn’t going to be a s-scary story…”</p><p>“I-I forgot some things h-happen before it gets happy…”</p><p>“Ughhh…” </p><p>“Awe don’t worry! This story isn’t scary!” Futaba gently threw Morgana on Ren, who allowed himself to be cuddled after hissing at the gremlin. “You’ve got good ol’ Futaba-sama here to make things automatically better!” </p><p>“Kazumi-niichan is also here!” Ren looked at her brother to see him wearing a supportive smile. “Futaba-sama, Morgana, Mama, Papa, and me are all here to make it not scary!”</p><p>“T-Thank you…”</p><p>Sumire took this as her cue to move away from her husband, who approved, and sit next to Ren, rubbing her back to let her know what Kazumi said was true.</p><p>
  <em> The Prince opened his eyes to find himself inside a dungeon, a place that didn’t look too different from the one he stayed in. He looked around the room, finding the walls were covered in some sort of blue padding. This made him sit up to get a better grasp of where he was, realizing that his wrists were cuffed together and that he was now wearing what could only be described as a black and white prisoner’s uniform. Hearing a chuckle off in the distance, the Prince turned his head to see two little girls walk up to his door, both of them wearing matching outfits of a blue hat, a blue button-up top with a tie, and black shorts that went with their black gloves and black shoes. What was more nerve-wracking was how they each had an eyepatch over an eye: the girl on his left wearing one on her left and the girl on his right wearing one on her right.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> He stood up and found out his ankle had a ball and chain attached to it, confusing him even more to where he was. This didn’t stop him from going to the door of his cell to try and find answers. However, when he held onto the rails of his door, the two girls stepped aside, revealing a man sitting at a desk. This man, in particular, had a VERY long and pointy nose that went along with his pointy ears and bulging eyes. Taking advantage of the Prince’s quiet state, the man welcomed him, calling him a Trickster, to what he called “his Velvet Room”. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Though the man made proper introductions, the Prince wasn’t able to keep up with him, questioning how his life, out of anyone else in the world, was connected to this “ruin” that’s claimed to happen in the future. The man simply ignored the Prince’s questions, taking note how the Velvet Room has the appearance of a dungeon while calling him a “prisoner” of fate. This made the Prince feel more agitated, learning again that he was the only one capable of changing such ruin. As he expected though, the man continued to speak, claiming he’ll act as an observer in his “rehabilitation” when the Prince didn’t know what to say when he was asked if he had the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Running short on time, the man introduced the two girls in front of him as his wardens that will help him in his rehabilitation to freedom. They told the Prince to remain obedient if he doesn't want to suffer their wrath, referring to him as “Prisoner”. It was then that the man ended their conversation, looking forward to their next meeting in the near future. With a flick of his wrist, an alarm went off, forcing the Prince’s eyes to become heavy…  </em>
</p><p>“P-Papa… h-how much more of the s-story is left…”</p><p>“W-We’re almost done! A-Are you okay, Kazumi?”</p><p>“Y-Yeah, I’m fine… b-but I don’t think Ren is…”</p><p>Akira followed Kazumi’s finger, saddened to find Ren completely under her blanket with Sumire, Futaba, and Morgana hugging her tight. He cursed at himself, not aware how engrossed into the story he got to notice the sobs of his ball of sunshine.</p><p>The trio released Ren when Akira was near. Nodding to each other, Sumire removed Ren’s blanket, revealing a little girl covering her face. Akira picked her up and carried her in a cradle, the sound of her crying breaking his heart.</p><p>“I-I’m sorry, Ren… d-do you want me to continue the story? The e-ending is close… and it shouldn’t be scary…”</p><p>She gave him a nod and immediately hid her face into his chest, not without calling him an ultra meanie for making her scared.</p><p>With a smile, Akira sat back on Kazumi’s bed, allowing him to pat his sister’s back.</p><p>
  <em> The Prince woke up that morning, unsure if what he went through last night was really a dream. Remembering he has to go to school today, he changed out of his pajamas and into his new school uniform, which was a red-buttoned black blazer, a white turtleneck shirt, and red and black trousers. The Sage soon entered the Prince’s room, letting him know he’s only driving him today since he has a tavern to run and that he’ll have to learn how the entire carriage system works. With one final warning to behave himself so he doesn’t get kicked out, the duo went to school. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Considering how this was a Sunday, and there was no school on Sunday, the Prince could tell how annoyed everyone was based on their body language. The principal wasted no time in berating the Prince, calling him a person that brings great shame to their school and making sure he knew that if he causes ANY problems, he WILL be expelled and WILL have no other place to go. His homeroom teacher spoke next, handing him his school identification card and informing him to go to the faculty office first thing tomorrow so she could introduce him to the class. Excusing themselves from the principal’s office when there was no reason to stay any longer, the Sage expressed a little pity at the Prince’s situation before telling him that if he got expelled now, he’d kick him out. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Traffic hit the two males on their way home. Not liking the awkward silence, the Sage striked a small conversation, asking the Prince what he thinks of the school. Answering his question and hearing him mumble about how troublesome he is, the Prince used this chance to ask the Sage why he decided to take him in. The Sage responded by telling him a customer informed him about the Prince’s situation and that he happened to agree to it, mentioning he already got paid.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The speaker in their small carriage then notified the two that the reason for traffic was because of a carriage accident. The Sage told the Prince those have been happening quite frequently, getting upset when the radio told drivers they should expect crowded streets. </em>
</p><p>Akira checked on Sumire to make sure she was okay, glad to see her with a gentle smile as she and Futaba leaned on each other with Morgana laying across their laps. He asked Ren if she’s feeling better, to which she nodded and asked if she could get a kiss, receiving one and an accompanying face nuzzle.</p><p>
  <em> It was night time when the Prince and the Sage returned to the tavern, who went home shortly after. The Prince changed into his pajamas and laid down on his bed, studying the path he’d have to take for tomorrow’s carriage ride to school as well as how the accidents could affect the timetables. That’s when he found that strange black and red app again. Visibly annoyed, the Prince deleted the app again, going as far as rebooting his phone so it would be gone for good just as his eyes started to feel heavy. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The next day came, cloudy as ever, and the Prince was ready for his trip. As soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs, the Sage welcomed him and offered him a plate of curry. </em>
</p><p>“There was curry in the new Kingdom?”</p><p>“Y-Yes-”</p><p>“Was the Sage’s curry as good as Papa’s curry?”</p><p>“I don’t think so, because Papa’s curry is real!”</p><p>“Oh yeah! That’s right!” </p><p>‘Sorry, Sojiro…’ </p><p>
  <em> Not wanting to press his luck when the Sage urged him to not complain upon being asked if this was his breakfast, the Prince was impressed by how well the flavors blended with each other. Thanking the Sage for his kindness, and energized for his day, the Prince ran off to the station. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> For someone that was in a new area, the Prince was proud to find his way with little to no problems. What he wasn’t proud of was forgetting an umbrella, even though he saw the cloudy weather back when he left the tavern. Groaning as he went under a store’s entrance for cover, the Prince checked his phone to see how much time he had left. </em>
</p><p>“Did he find that weird app?”</p><p>“He did!”</p><p>“Did he hate it?”</p><p>“He was more lost, but yup!”</p><p>The twins giggled at the humor of the Prince getting annoyed from a phone app that wouldn’t go away.</p><p>
  <em> Again, the app grew and covered the middle of his screen. There wasn’t much the Prince could do but leave the app alone since it refused to go away. It was then that a person, a girl with her hood up, walked under the same cover he was under and stood next to him. Pulling her hood down, the Prince was left in awe at how different the girl looked compared to everyone else, having platinum blonde hair tied into two pigtails and light blue eyes.  </em>
</p><p>“Reeeen!” </p><p>“Hmm?”</p><p>“Aren’t you going to ask Papa if the girl was pretty?”</p><p>“Nope!”</p><p>“Whaaaaat?”</p><p>“I only ask that if they’re Princesses, and Papa didn’t say this girl was a Princess. Right, Papa?”</p><p>“Huh? R-Right!”</p><p>“Oh… that makes sense!”</p><p>Akira, Sumire, Morgana, and Futaba made a silent pact to never tell Ann about this.</p><p>
  <em> The girl looked around, hoping the rain would stop when she noticed the Prince staring at her. Wearing a gentle smile, the girl raised a hand towards the Prince’s hair, grabbing a cherry blossom petal that found its way there. Embarrassed for having something that noticeable on him, the Prince thanked the girl, who appreciated his kindness, and they both stared out in front of them until a carriage appeared. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The man inside, whose hair was ugly like a mop and had a weird chin- </em>
</p><p>The laughter from the twins brought smiles to everyone’s faces.</p><p>
  <em> That man offered the girl a ride to school, to which she accepted. He then offered the Prince a ride, one that he rejected since it would be awkward for him on his first day of school. The Prince watched the man drive off with the girl, able to catch her sadness right as her window closed. Starting to feel a little suspicious, he heard a boy running in his direction, yelling at the man who drove away and calling him a weirdo. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Lost more than ever, the Prince repeated what the boy, who had short spiky blonde hair, said about the man, catching his attention. Already acting defensive and asking if he’d snitch on him at school, the blonde boy cursed at how the man acts like a king of a castle when he’s there. He asked if the Prince shared the same sentiments towards him, to which he was speechless. That’s when he realized the Prince was new. Since they were going the same way, the blonde boy offered the Prince if he’d want to walk with him to school, agreeing when a shortcut was mentioned. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> And thus, the Prince’s journey to school resumed now that the rain was gone. However, something happened while the Prince and the blonde boy were walking…  </em>
</p><p>“What happened, Papa?”</p><p>“Tell us!”</p><p>“Remember that weird app from earlier?”</p><p>“Mhm!”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>“What if I said that app was listening to their conversation?”</p><p>The jaws of Kazumi and Ren dropped.</p><p>
  <em> Unknown to the Prince, the weird app was listening to their conversation all along. It picked up on certain keywords, and did something to the Prince and the blonde boy… After getting a small headache, they walked through an alley as their shortcut. While the blonde boy kept walking, the Prince stepped on a puddle and heard a weird sound. Turning around and finding nothing there, the Prince carried on with his walk when he heard the blonde boy yell. Exiting the hallway, he too was shocked to find the place where there school was supposed to be… was actually a castle! </em>
</p><p>“WHOA!”</p><p>“And then! And then!”</p><p>“And then…” Akira studied the eager reactions of Kazumi and Ren. “It was bedtime!”</p><p>““Papaaaaaa!””</p><p>“What! It’s true!” While Sumire and Futaba giggled at his joke, the twins pouted. “If you do well at school this week, then maaaaaybe there’ll be another early story time…”</p><p>“I’ll do my best, Papa!”</p><p>“… I guess I don’t have a choice…”</p><p>Sumire and Futaba got off of Ren’s bed and went over to Kazumi so Akira could tuck the little girl in his arms back in. With all of the goodnight kisses given (fist bumps in Futaba’s case), the adults almost walked out of the room when the twins called them back.</p><p>“Can you call Ayaka-neesan?”</p><p>“Futaba-sama’s here… it’s only fair…”</p><p>The adults all looked at each other and played a game on who gets to call her. Akira was the loser, so he got out his phone, dialed her number, and put it on speaker, hearing two rings.</p><p>“Akiraaaaaa!” The sound of a young woman echoed throughout the room.</p><p>“Did I call at a bad time?”</p><p>“‘DiD i CaLl At A bAd TiMe?’ OF COURSE YOU DID! I was rewatching Risette do the Neo Featherman R dance as a break from my thesis work and- Wait, am I on speaker?”</p><p>“Yup! Everyone can hear you!”</p><p>“Good evening, Ayaka-san-”</p><p>“SumiSumi-chan!” Sumire winced upon getting called out. “We’ve been over this! Don’t make me charge you like I do with Futaba to get you to stop!”</p><p>“S-Sorry, A-Ayaka-chan…”</p><p>“There we go!”</p><p>““Hiiiii, Ayaka-neesan!””</p><p>“Ayakaaaaa! Your brother REFUSES to do the dance with me, Sumire, and their kids!”</p><p>“Hellooooooo everyone- HE WHAAAAAT?!”</p><p>“A-A-Anyways! You were saying?”</p><p>“Huh? Oh, right.” Everyone heard Ayaka clear her throat. “YOU interrupted me! How DARE you do this to me! My break is forever ruined because of you!”</p><p>Akira did nothing but laugh at her accusations. “Hey, Ayaka?”</p><p>“What else do YOU want from ME! Can’t you see I’m already suffering enough!”</p><p>“I miss you, little sis.”</p><p>““““Awwwwww!””””</p><p>“… You know you could call everyday instead of twice a week to miss me less, right?”</p><p>“Oh? So you DON’T want me to-”</p><p>“N-NO! WAIT! I DIDN’T MEAN-'' She heard him howl in laughter on the other side. “UGHHHH you’re such a meanie, Akira-niichan!”</p><p>“Is he an ultra meanie, Ayaka-neesan?”</p><p>“Yeah! Is Papa an ultra meanie?”</p><p>“Oh believe me, he’s ALWAYS going to be an ultra meanie! I should know! SumiSumi-chan should know, too!”</p><p>“Oh don’t worry, I remind him ALL the time ever since we started story time!”</p><p>“Then I guess someone doesn’t want a goodnight kiss-”</p><p>“W-What! B-B-But I was-” Sumire looked at Akira to find his disgusting smirk. “Ughhhhh you’re an ultra meanie! Hmph!” </p><p>Everyone poked fun at Akira’s new nickname for the upcoming week, only able to get Sumire to stop by grabbing her waist and pulling her in with one arm for a hug.</p><p>“Soooooo, Akira! Any other reason why you called besides missing your favorite sister?”</p><p>“You’re my <em> only </em> sister-”</p><p>“Which is why I’m your favorite by default!”</p><p>“Or you could be my least favorite by default-”</p><p>“Akiraaaaa-niichan!”</p><p>“I’m kidding!” He could imagine her pouting on the other side. “Anyways, the twins have something to tell you since Futaba’s here.”</p><p>“Oh? I’m all- oh my gosh.”</p><p>Kazumi and Ren glanced at each other and nodded. </p><p>““Our favorite aunt of the week is…””</p><p>Comically, Futaba and Ayaka gulped in anticipation while Sumire snuggled in Akira’s arm.</p><p>‘“Futaba-sama!””</p><p>“YEEEAAAAAHHH!”</p><p>“NOOOOOOOOO! That’s the third week in a row!”</p><p>“We would’ve said Ayaka-neesan…”</p><p>“But Futaba-sama danced with us…”</p><p>“Better luck next time, aye Ayaka?”</p><p>“Mark my words, Futaba! I WILL be THE favorite aunt by Golden Week! Oh yeah, speaking of Golden Week-” A thud echoed from her side. “Whoops! Phone slipped! Umm, Mom already started cleaning the house for you guys. I told her she can wait, but she insisted on starting early no matter WHAT I told her!”</p><p>“Well, that’s Mom for you… she never really changed now that I think about it…”</p><p>“Can you tell Shion-obaasan I said goodnight?”</p><p>“Me too!”</p><p>“Actually, can you tell Shion-san all of us said goodnight? Futaba included too, of course!”</p><p>“W-Wha-”</p><p>“I could just call her-”</p><p>“You cooouuld, but she’s also asleep… But never fear! I’ll tell her first thing tomorrow! Though, technically that’d be morning, huh?”</p><p>““Thank you, Ayaka-neesan!””</p><p>“You’re a beautiful person, Ayaka!”</p><p>“Thank you so much, Ayaka-chan!”</p><p>“No problemo- Oops, I should probably go to bed too! My beauty sleep is calling!” </p><p>“I thought you were taking a break from your thesis-”</p><p>“What’s that, Akira? I can’t hear you cause my BEAUTY SLEEP is calling me! Goodnight Futaba, Kazumi, Ren, and SumiSumi-chan! Oh! And goodnight, Morgana!”</p><p>““Goodnight, Ayaka-neesan!””</p><p>“I shall see you during Golden Week!”</p><p>“Goodnight, Ayaka-chan!”</p><p>“She remembered this time!”</p><p>“Oh, and Akira?”</p><p>“Yeah-”</p><p>“You’re an ultra meanie.”</p><p>“Heeeeey-”</p><p>“Hehe! I’m just kidding! Goodnight, Akira-niichan~! Looooove you!”</p><p>“Mhmm, suuuuure… goodnight, Ayaka! Love you too!”</p><p>Akira ended the call with a smile on his face, earning a kiss from Sumire.</p><p>“What’s that for?”</p><p>“I don’t know… but watching you and Ayaka-san talk is so funny!”</p><p>“Sumire’s right! Even though it’s been years, there’s something about you two talking that hurts everyone’s hearts! What’s your secret!”</p><p>“I-I don’t know what you mean?”</p><p>“Lies!”</p><p>“I don’t-”</p><p>Akira and Futaba watched Sumire go to the twins to give them another set of goodnight kisses as their eyes got heavy. While Akira kissed Kazumi and Ren goodnight, Futaba gave them head pats to not ruin their drowsy state. Tiptoeing out of the room and shutting off the lights, Sumire closed the door.</p><p>“When did you guys start doing story time?”</p><p>“Since last week!” Sumire briefed Futaba for why it happened in the first place and the promise they made with the kids. “Ever since then, we,” she used this chance to spin into Akira’s warmth, “noticed them liking school more!”</p><p>“Well, Ren at least..” Akira poked Sumire’s sides, holding her tight as she giggled. “Kazumi still needs to adjust… but he’s good at math!”</p><p>“That’s a start! And Ren is good at reading and writing?”</p><p>“… and a little math…”</p><p>“Oh…”</p><p>“B-But! Kazumi helps her from time to time-”</p><p>A buzzing from Futaba’s phone became the center of attention.</p><p>“Oh crap! I gotta go!” Futaba hugged Akira and Sumire and rushed down the stairs. “I forgot I was supposed to buy Sojiro some ingredients on the way home! Oh! Can you also let me know when the next story time is? I wanna be there if what’s next is what I think it is!”</p><p>“Hmm, I’ll think about it…”</p><p>“Akiraaaaa!”</p><p>“What do you think, Sumi-boo?”</p><p>“I don’t know… I might have to think about it overnight, Aki-boo…”</p><p>“Sumireeeeee-” She watched the married couple approach her with smiles.</p><p>“Of course we will!”</p><p>“Just make sure you don’t have any, umm, slip ups this time around, okay? K-Kinda don’t want the kids to learn anything-”</p><p>“Come on! They weren’t THAT bad-”</p><p>“But still-”</p><p>“First of all, you never told me your mom gave you a knife! How was I NOT supposed to ask about that!”</p><p>“… you’ve got a point…”</p><p>“See! I’m not entirely in the wrong! But still! I promise there won’t be any slip ups!”</p><p>““Are you sure?””</p><p>“Yup! I’m sure!”</p><p>“Then welcome to the next story time, Futaba!”</p><p>“Yay! Thank you soooo much, Sumire!”</p><p>“Actually, I have an idea…” Akira met Futaba’s puppy eyes with a grin. “If you happen to slip up, I get to tell Ayaka-”</p><p>“F-Fine… but if I do slip AND you tell her,” Futaba pouted at Akira, “don’t be surprised if your birthday gift is 1,000 yen cheaper!”</p><p>“But my birthday was last month-”</p><p>“Then it’ll be your NEXT birthday-”</p><p>The small banter between the two was interrupted when Sumire giggled a little louder than she should’ve. She stopped when she heard Akira and Futaba no longer talking, only to giggle again when they laughed. </p><p>“But for real, I gotta make like a tree and branch out! Don’t wanna anger the ol’ Sage! Oh! And goodnight, Morgana- Wait, where’d he go?”</p><p>“He probably went to sleep…”</p><p>“Wow, to think he sleeps before you now…”</p><p>“I know right!”</p><p>With one final laugh, Akira and Sumire wished Futaba safe travels and went to bed after watching her walk into the distance, wishing each other goodnight with a kiss and snuggling in each other’s presence.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Again, sorry for the word length! I ended up adding things that weren't in the original plans, such as the flashback scene and some small bonding with the family. And there was also the guilt of the way how I ended the previous chapter on a somber note haha...</p><p>Speaking of the flashback, it was my first attempt at writing combat (along with adding music), so I hope it was bearable! I was originally going to try out combat in this one-shot idea I had that would serve as a test as a much later chapter here (still unsure if it'll be written), but from the way how this chapter was going, it felt more reasonable to add it given the context. How often is the combat? I'm not really too sure. This story has started to write itself rather than me writing it to the point where my plans within the chapter are constantly changing...</p><p>If it seems like I went too much into detail for the dance scene in the beginning, well, that was on purpose haha. Kinda wanted to set the stage up for what could or could not be a later chapter in the future... and btw! The outfits Rise and her husband (who should be obvious...) wore were based on their P4D concept art. (If anyone is interested in the dance they were doing, it's the ending dance from Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger and the song is called Que Boom! Ryusoulger)</p><p>I hope Ayaka's (Akira's sister) inclusion at the end was enjoyable! And, umm, don't really know what else I have to say about that other than the worry of including an original character haha...</p><p>I was originally going to backlog this chapter as I write chapters 4 and 5, but I'm still deciding on how they should be written, such as if I should follow the game or follow the manga for certain pieces. All in all, it's been a blast writing this, and I hope this has been enjoyable thus far! Until next time!</p>
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